NRL GRAND FINAL: Storm 14, Bulldogs 4

Dane Nielsen and Todd Lowrie will join the Vodafone Warriors as premiership winners after helping Melbourne to an impressive 14-4 victory in Sunday’s NRL grand final against Canterbury-Bankstown.

They faced each other in the 2009 grand final when Lowrie, then with Parramatta, came away empty-handed after the Eels lost 16-23 to Melbourne while Nielsen’s joy at winning a premiership ring wouldn’t last after the Storm were later stripped of the title.

At their second attempt on Sunday they came away winners in their farewell appearances for the Storm before moving to Auckland to start with the Vodafone Warriors.

With halfback Cooper Cronk, the Clive Churchill Medal winner, operating imperiously and fullback Billy Slater utterly sublime, the Storm were inspired throughout as they shut down the brave Bulldogs to win a legitimate premiership at last.

Appearing in their fifth grand final in the last seven seasons, Melbourne wouldn’t be denied even though victory ought to have been achieved by a more convincing margin; the Storm’s cause wasn’t helped on that front by Cameron Smith kicking just one of five attempts at goal while the marked advantage they had in the possession stakes might have equated to more points.

In the end it mattered not. Melbourne was simply on another level from a Bulldogs side short on players with grand final experience.

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In the NYC grand final, Wests Tigers humiliated Canberra 46-6 to win the title for the first time. Earlier in the season the Tigers had pumped the Vodafone Junior Warriors 54-12.

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In the New South Wales Cup grand final, Newtown beat Balmain Ryde Eastwood 22-18.

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