2017 NRL TIPPING SEASON WRAP UP

Melbourne Storm win NRL grand final 34-6 against North Queensland Cowboys to claim third premiership

By Dean Bilton

ABC Grandstand

PHOTO: As they have been all year, the Melbourne Storm were far too good on grand final night. (AAP: David Moir)

The Melbourne Storm have produced a grand final masterclass to comprehensively beat the North Queensland Cowboys 34-6 and win their third premiership.

Minor premiers and overwhelming pre-game favourites, the Storm flexed their muscle over 80 minutes to end the Cowboys' fairytale run.

A tearful Billy Slater won the Clive Churchill Medal for best afield, but there was hardly a poor Storm player on the field as the men in purple ran rampant.

After a week of build-up and a stellar, controversy-free pre-match show by Macklemore, the match itself begun with the horrific anti-climax of a terrible injury to Cowboys forward Shaun Fensom.

PHOTO: Cameron Smith (with Coach Craig Bellamy) had a claim of his own for the Clive Churchill Medal. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)

Fensom's leg appeared to snap under the weight of Ethan Lowe, and it took nearly 15 minutes for medical staff to stabilise the injury and get the player off the field.

An arm wrestle ensued after the game got back underway, with a territory battle emerging and neither side able to take any real control.

With 20 minutes played, the first try was all-important — and, crucially, it was the Storm who would make the breakthrough.

A Cowboys kick fell into the grateful arms of Will Chambers who, after breaking a tackle or two, found a surging Josh Addo-Carr who ran 70 metres to open the scoring — not without a timely defensive block from an unsuspecting referee.

But once that try was confirmed, Melbourne took over the match. The Cowboys struggled to hold on as Melbourne made repeated raids on their tryline, and it seemed inevitable more points would be added.

PHOTO: The match started in horrific fashion, with Shaun Fensom suffering a horrendous broken leg. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)

So it would prove, when a smart set play and pass from Slater created a massive gap for Felise Kaufusi to stroll through and extend the advantage.

The Cowboys were rocking, and there would be more pain before half-time when Antonio Winterstein's panicked knock on and some more quick Melbourne hands sent Slater over for the third of the half.

The half-time siren came at the perfect time for North Queensland, who looked on the ropes after 40 bruising minutes, and the break would allow the Cowboys to regroup.

They came out with an added ferocity after the break, playing for their season and soon getting a reward.

PHOTO: Felise Kaufusi scored the second try of the match. (AAP: Dan Himbrechts)

A number of Storm penalties gave the Cowboys repeated opportunities to open their account, and eventually the pressure told when Te Maire Martin hotstepped his way through a defence left exposed by the overly-exuberant Cameron Smith.

But it would be a short-lived comeback. Melbourne took some time to resettle and eventually halted the Cowboys' momentum when Dale Finucane barged over from close range.

If North Queensland fans were still holding on to any hope at that point, it would soon be extinguished by a Kane Linnett fumble, an Addo-Carr offload and a Curtis Scott try.

With the premiership secured and the magnificent Cronk-Slater-Smith trifecta about to be split up, it was time for some razzle dazzle — the three Storm stars combined with some fast hands before Tohu Harris launched a brilliant long pass to Addo-Carr who scored his second.

The tears would flow after the final whistle, with Slater's incredible comeback from injury capped off in the perfect fashion and Cooper Cronk now preparing for life after the Storm.

If Melbourne's season was close to perfect, so too was its grand final display.

In our Tipping Competition, Linknz (Link Abrams) was crowned the 2017 NRL Tipping Champion, taking out top spot on 173 points, four points clear of his closest rival Mickeytheboot (Jared Francois) who finished on 169 points. Taking out 3rd spot, a futher point back, was Mr Busy (Jason Blank) on 168 points. Congratulations to our TOP 3 prize winners of 2017.

THE FINAL NRL TIPPING CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE

RANK	TIPPER	TOTAL SCORE	TOTAL MARGIN
1	linknz	173	374
2	mickeytheboot	169	312
3	Mr Busy	168	333
4	Scotty_too_hotty	167	382
5	Redv4me	166	348
6	Villagers	166	383
7	Queenie	165	345
8	BT Ross	164	286
9	sava4	161	409
10	Burnside_NZ	159	367
11	Heathos	158	352
12	The Neighbour	157	424
13	Feet Little	156	331
14	The Ghost	155	332
15	Lainey	155	361
16	ned stone	155	374
17	Scotsta	154	391
18	CC's Tigers	153	400
19	NZ Tiger	152	343
20	Alfie	152	358
21	Yo Mama	152	364
22	Ash	152	385
23	BIGW	151	395
24	killswitch	150	332
25	apii08	149	391
26	boogs_nz	149	394
27	merivale motu	148	355
28	kazgriffo	147	324
29	Cracklesack	147	365
30	falvey	147	390
31	Aiden	146	334
32	Balmainadrian	145	314
33	Camthetiger	145	521
34	Amanda	144	388
35	HBgirl	144	404
36	The Uppercuts	144	418
37	miketherocket	144	435
38	Rachie	143	389
39	NZTiger Jnr	143	408
40	Jessamine	142	348
41	jall091	142	386
42	Western Bronco	141	356
43	Bearass	141	378
44	howgreathuarts	139	365
45	Warmess	136	502
46	Melz	135	387
47	BLO1	134	455
48	ErinC	133	398
49	NO1QPRNZ	132	337
50	Shannon PANAPA	132	400
51	mdt64	131	354
52	kyehudz	129	416
53	Luceman	129	418
54	TipKing#1	120	395
55	AuntyDollar	107	389
56	DreadHead	79	421
57	ash nuku	78	413
58	nigz	70	370
59	Wilshere Wonderland	63	376

The Bonus Pools Tables had some exciting finishes to conclude the 2017 season with a number of Pools requiring the Grand Final result to decide the winner.

Congratulations to the following Tipsters who have won their Pool and collected $100 in the process;

POOL A - Merivale Motu (Scott Campbell)

POOL B - Mr Busy (Jason Blank)

POOL C - BT Ross (Brett Ross)

POOL D - Linknz (Link Abrams)

POOL E - Alfie (Stephen Hitchcock)

FINALS POOLS TABLES 2017

POOL A	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
Merivale Motu	148	355	45	193
mickeytheboot	169	312	21	190
The Neighbour	157	424	30	187
Burnside_NZ	159	367	25	184
Camthetiger	145	521	36	181
Amanda	144	388	20	164
The Uppercuts	144	418	20	164
kazgriffo	147	324	15	162
ErinC	133	398	21	154
Balmainadrian	145	314	5	150
AuntyDollar	107	389	3	110
Ash Nuku	78	413	11	89
POOL B	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
Mr Busy	168	333	20	188
Villagers	166	383	20	186
Ash	152	385	26	178
Apii08	149	391	20	169
CC's Tigers	153	400	15	168
sava4	161	409	6	167
BIGW	151	395	14	165
Western Bronco	141	356	21	162
boogs_nz	149	394	10	159
Warmess	136	502	4	140
Luceman	129	418	5	134
DreadHead	79	421	9	88
POOL C	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
BT Ross	164	286	34	198
Feet Little	156	331	31	187
Scotty_too_hotty	167	382	20	187
ned stone	155	374	15	170
NZ Tiger	152	343	15	167
Hbgirl	144	404	21	165
BLO1	134	455	30	164
Rachie	143	389	16	159
jall091	142	386	15	157
Howgreathuarts	139	365	16	155
NZTiger Jnr	143	408	5	148
Wilshere Wonderland	63	376	21	84
POOL D	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
linknz	173	374	46	219
The Ghost	155	332	46	201
killswitch	150	332	41	191
Queenie	165	345	20	185
Heathos	158	352	21	179
Bearass	141	378	30	171
Scotsta	154	391	16	170
Cracklesack	147	365	12	159
NO1QPRNZ	132	337	15	147
kyehudz	129	416	15	144
MDT64	131	354	5	136
TipKing#1	120	395	13	133
POOL E	Points	Margin	Bonus	TOTAL
Alfie	152	358	45	197
Yo Mama	152	364	30	182
Redv4me	166	348	14	180
Aiden	146	334	32	178
falvey	147	390	30	177
Lainey	155	361	15	170
Shannon PANAPA	132	400	30	162
Jessamine	142	348	16	158
Miketherocket	144	435	5	149
Melz	135	387	10	145
Nigz	70	370	5	75

PRIZE WINNERS 2017 (Congrats again!)

1st + Pool D - Linknz (Link Abrams) $700nz

2nd - Mickeytheboot (Jared Francois) $200nz

3rd + Pool B - Mr Busy (Jason Blank) $200nz

POOL A - Merivale Motu (Scott Campbell) $100nz

POOL C - BT Ross (Brett Ross) $100nz

POOL E - Alfie (Stephen Hitchcock) $100nz