Melbourne responded to Penrith’s impressive victory in their qualification final a day earlier by putting Cronulla to the sword and booking their place in the prelims.
The Panthers brushed aside the Sydney Roosters on Friday night with a brutal opening half, but the Storm responded in kind with an equally powerful statement in the second half of their match on the way to a 37-10 win over the Sharks.
Cameron Munster played a key role in the demolition at AAMI Park with the five-eighth opening the scoring with a dart out of dummy-half in the opening minutes.
The four-pointer set the tone for the rest of the afternoon with Craig Fitzgibbon’s side starved of possession and field position as they were forced into a semi-final next week.
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Cameron Munster takes advantage of referee change in finals
Munster adopted a run-first approach from the first whistle as he continually buzzed around the ruck looking to exploit tired opposition defenders.
"I guess when you’re playing finals footy, I feel like the referee holds the whistle away a lot more," Munster told Fox League.
"So, there’s a bit more transition footy and more flow.
"There are tired middles in there, eventually. I know I was cooking out there.
"I was just trying to get on the ball as much as I could and create opportunities for our outside men and those inside."
The playmaker clocked over 100 run metres from his 17 carries with Josh King the only Storm player who ran the ball more than Munster.
However, while the home side had control over the Sharks for the majority of the contest, Munster certainly didn’t have it all his own way.
The 30-year-old was hammered in the first half by Briton Nikora and stayed down on the ground as worries around his condition were sure to have flooded through the coach’s box, after he has endured an injury-marred campaign to date.
"He definitely got me," Munster smirked.
"It is what it is - that’s rugby league. I was a little bit winded but just need a bit of cement."
