Top 10 Roosters v Storm clashes of the decade

They've been the two dominant clubs of the past decade and the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm have fought out some fierce battles in that time. Here are the 10 best.

10. Round 26, 2011

Manly's loss to Brisbane a few hours before this game meant the Storm were guaranteed the minor premiership, so Melbourne chose to rest Cameron Smith and Billy Slater, while Cooper Conk returned from injury to play. The Roosters dominated the game, winning 40-8. BJ Leilua terrorised the Storm's right edge defence, scoring a hat-trick before limping off the field injured. Melbourne had one eye on the upcoming finals series and the Roosters made them pay for it. 

9. Round 14, 2016

The Storm made it seven wins in a row as they recorded their biggest ever winning margin over the Roosters, keeping them scoreless for the first time as they ran away 46-0 winners in a dominant display. It was a horrible night for the Roosters who made plenty of errors and the Storm made them pay for it, completing their sets at a near-perfect 95 percent. Fullback Cameron Munster ran riot, scoring one try, setting up three others and running for 212 metres, while Cronk bagged a double and Suliasi Vunivalu scored a hat-trick. 

8. Round 4, 2012

The Storm went into this contest having lost just three of 21 games at home and they showed exactly why in this game. After Dane Nielsen opened the scoring for Melbourne in the fifth minute, the Roosters dominated field position and possession for most of the half but were unable to convert it into points as the Storm's defence held firm. The floodgates began to open in the second half, with Melbourne running away 44-4 winners with doubles to Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater. Boyd Cordner grabbed a consolation try in what was a disappointing performance by the Roosters. 

7. Round 15, 2019

Melbourne put on a defensive masterclass at Adelaide Oval as they kept the Roosters to just two tries. The reigning premiers threw everything at the Storm, with Latrell Mitchell putting on a show while filling in for the injured Luke Keary at five-eighth. In the end the teams were separated only by a Cameron Smith penalty goal, with the Storm clinching a 14-12 victory – their sixth straight win – to go six points clear at the top of the table.

6. Finals Week 1, 2015

The Storm ended the Roosters' 12-game winning streak to advance straight to the preliminary finals in a gritty 20-18 win. It was clear that Melbourne came into the game with a plan to kick to the corners and take superstar fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck out of the game and they executed it to perfection. The visitors slowed down the ruck and ground their way to victory when unlikely hero Tim Glasby picked up the scraps of a Cronk bomb to give his side a 20-12 lead. Blake Ferguson forced his way over the line for the Roosters two minutes later but  Smith's penalty goal proved the difference.

5. Round 16, 2018

Another close game between the two NRL powerhouses, with a 40-metre field goal from Smith giving the Storm a 9-8 win. The two best defensive sides in the NRL kept each other tryless for the first 60 minutes. There was plenty of hype around former Melbourne star Cronk coming up against Billy Slater and Smith for the first time, and the match lived up to that hype as Smith kicked the winning field goal in the 78th minute. Cronk attempted to send the game into golden point with a field goal shot with 20 seconds to go but Storm second-rower Ryan Hoffman pulled off a miraculous charge down to seal the deal for Melbourne. 

4. 2018 Grand Final

After a week of speculation around whether Cronk would play given his shoulder injury, it was his halves partner Luke Keary who delivered one of the best individual performances in recent years to steer the Roosters to premiership glory. Roosters coach Trent Robinson's decision to play Cronk with a fractured scapula proved a masterstroke, with the veteran halfback using his experience to guide his side around while barely touching the ball as Keary ran the show. The Storm never looked like winning after the Roosters raced to a 12-0 lead in the first 15 minutes. Latrell Mitchell terrorised his opposing centre Will Chambers as the Roosters won convincingly 21-6, making Cronk the first player to win back-to-back premierships at two different clubs since Johnny Mayes did it in 1973-74 with Manly and Easts. 

3. Round 23, 2017

A late try to Joe Stimson gave the Storm a thrilling 16-13 win after it appeared that a 73rd-minute field goal from Luke Keary had cemented victory for the Roosters. The win put the Storm six points clear at the top of the Telstra Premiership table, and set them on track to be crowned minor premiers again. The match wasn't without controversy though as Suliasi Vunivalu was awarded a dramatic penalty try after it appeared Mitchell held him back while chasing a grubber kick. That gave the Storm a 10-0 lead. The Roosters clawed their way back, eventually levelling the scores at 12-all before Keary's field goal and Stimson's match-winner. 

2. Round 16, 2017

The Roosters prevailed in one of the matches of the year at Adelaide Oval as a Mitchell Pearce field goal in golden point capped a miracle comeback. Without their Origin stars Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, the inexperienced Storm were on their way to a huge victory when they led 24-12 with 10 minutes remaining. But tries to wingers Daniel Tupou and Blake Ferguson sent the game to golden point where the iceman Pearce nailed his match-winner from 35 metres out. 

1. Round 6, 2019

In a thrilling Good Friday clash between the premiership heavyweights it was the Roosters who scraped home courtesy of a long range Latrell Mitchell field goal in golden – but not before the Storm had given them one hell of a scare. The Chooks had raced to a 20-0 lead before Cameron Smith steered his side towards an epic comeback, levelling the scores before Mitchell kicked the match-winner. Mitchell caused havoc down the left edge all night, scoring one try and setting up James Tedesco for another. Cooper Cronk received plenty of attention from the crowd in his first game back at AAMI Park since moving to the Roosters but the classy No.7 had the last laugh as he guided his side home to victory.