2007 grand final rewind: Storm-Sea Eagles rivalry begins

It was the first time in three years that the top two teams on the NRL ladder at season's end met in the grand final.

Manly had beaten Melbourne 13-12 with a field goal from former Storm halfback Matt Orford in Round 11 – the only time these two had faced each other in the regular season.

But with Storm scoring 113 tries that year and the Sea Eagles 105 – both well clear of the other 14 clubs – the fans were anticipating a high-scoring, end-to-end style of game.

There were nine tries in total but most of the action was in the second half, and mostly down in Manly's territory. The full-time score (34-8) would have been more severe if Cameron Smith had been more accurate with his boot – he only landed three goals from eight attempts.

But the intensity and the Brett Stewart incident in this game planted the seeds for a fierce rivalry between these two clubs. Almost three years after this match, the Storm were stripped of the premiership on account of salary cap offences.

Best player:  Clive Churchill Medallist Greg Inglis played five-eighth for the majority of 2007 after spending 2006 in his more customary positions of centre or fullback. But Inglis filled in for the missing Scott Hill, who left after the 2006 grand final loss to the Broncos.

And Inglis's skills are up in the stratosphere anyway so he was heavy favourite to collect the man of the match award even as the No.6. He capped it all off with two tries, one a spectacular 60-metre individual effort from inside his own half, with the usual acceleration and then a fend on stand-in fullback Michael Robertson to finish it off.

The unsung hero: Michael Crocker might be best remembered for his tackle on Brett Stewart, but he was a busy back-rower throughout the match. He made seven tackle-breaks, 14 runs for 149 metres, made 20 tackles and scored a try. 

The play of the day: A Brett White offload to Inglis just inside his own 40-metre line and with two players hanging off him was superb. Inglis's four-pointer two minutes after Matt King scored meant the score shot from 14-4 to 22-4 to put the match out of reach, despite 20 minutes left on the clock.

The what-if moment: Brett Stewart's run-in with Storm duo Crocker and Billy Slater left him heavily concussed in the first minute of the second half. The slick-running No.1 was not able to continue and didn't remember much of the match at all.

When he was helped from the ground by two trainers, Manly only trailed by a try 10-6. They ended up losing seven tries to two. Halfback Orford was missing the 'sixth sense' connection he had with his fullback.

The quote: "Michael Crocker… there is nothing soft about him," Nine commentator Phil Gould, on that tackle.

Recollections of a champion: Clint Newton had a hard year leaving his beloved Newcastle (after 6.5 seasons) mid-year to transfer to Melbourne. But he ended up with the double-whammy of not only winning a premiership but scoring a try in a grand final.

"When I scored I remember walking back to my position and I heard this massive roar from the crowd so I was thinking 'They must have just showed a replay of my try'," Newton told NRL.com.

"But then I turned around and looked at the screen and my old man (Jack Newton) is holding up a schooner and gives a 'cheers' to the camera with a real look of absolute pride on his face. That was a special moment for me because my dad has always been a rock for me and it had been a tough season leaving the Knights.

"I also certainly remember Mick and Billy's collision with Brett Steward but also it was GI's performance on the night that was first-class and basically a taste of what was to come from him over the next decade or more.

"He was just setting off on the trajectory he's now on.

"Greg, at 20, was one of a bunch of young, talented guys we had back then like Israel Folau, who had only just turned 18, Cooper (Cronk) was 23, plus forwards like Dallas Johnson, Brett White and Jeff Lima (all 25) and hadn't played rep football at that point.

"Post-game there were five Storm players in the Australian side alongside Cameron (Smith), with Cooper, Dallas, Ryan Hoffman and Israel on debut. Then Jeff Lima and Jeremy Smith made their debuts in the Kiwis team."

Recollections of a runner-up: Jason King still remembers the disappointment of the loss the whole team felt – and the lapse in concentration by himself.

"I remember Michael Crocker beating me on the inside shoulder... a big no-no for a front rower... Crock ended up scoring a try from it. That was disappointing for me," King told NRL.com.

"We had some good performers, Glenn Stewart played well and so did his brother Brett until he was injured.

"So not great memories to be honest. We were outplayed by the Storm in all areas. They seemed to handle the occasion far better than we did and executed their game plan well.

"Cameron Smith, Greg Inglis and Billy Slater were great for them and didn't let the opportunity slip after losing the year before to the Broncos.

"It was very disappointing to lose, but just making the grand final was a big achievement for the club.

"The club was impacted quite severely by the Super League and Northern Eagles, coupled with some tough financial times. For the club to turn itself around a make a grand final, with some good you players, and some local juniors, was a big milestone for the club and definitely a sign of things to come!"

The year after: Manly finished 2007 in second place behind the Storm and in 2008 both clubs finished in the same top two spots, maintaining their consistency. So no surprises these two met again in the grand final.

But it was sweet revenge for the Sea Eagles. Storm lost their skipper and chief orchestrator in Cameron Smith to suspension for the 2008 decider, and after Storm put 34 points on Manly in 2007, the Sea Eagles responded in 2008 putting 40 on Storm to win the club's seventh premiership.

Manly had six new faces in the 2008 grand final, which is quite a high turnover in just one season. Melbourne had three changes – including the enforced Smith change with Russell Aitken playing No.9.

As King remembers of Manly's about-face 40-0 win: "Through a lot of hard work, we made the GF again in 2008. It was a different feel the second time around though, the excitement of making the GF wasn't there, it was all about winning.

"And when the Storm also qualified again I think our determination and intensity went up a notch. By this stage we had built up a strong rivalry with the Storm, and we weren't going to be left standing at the altar again.

"We handled the noise far better this time around and executed exactly what we had planned. The experience of 2007 helped us, and it was special to get one back over the Storm."