Michael Maguire needs to fix a glaring mismatch or the Broncos are virtually no chance of taking out next Sunday’s grand final.
One of Melbourne’s trump cards is Harry Grant – unchallenged as the best ball running hooker in the game.
Opposite him, the Broncos have fill-in hooker Cory Paix, who remarkably didn’t make a single run out of dummy half in Sunday’s epic comeback win over the Panthers.
Unless the Broncos can find some attacking threat at hooker in the next seven days, Grant and the Storm will swamp them.
Hooker has become the super position of the modern game – look at just about any strong team and you will find a threatening No.9 with ball in hand.
Normally the Broncos could rely on Billy Walters, who has been in career best form – but he is out of contention with an ACL tear.
Grant is the heart and soul of the Storm attack – he puts the defence in two minds and allows halves Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes to have time and space with the ball.
Against the Panthers, Broncos halves Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt were relatively quiet – because Paix did not challenge the defence from dummy half, allowing them to concentrate on the ball players.
A comparison between the two hookers shows what a steep mountain the Broncos have to climb.
Paix has played 21 games this season with just with three try assists to his name.
Grant has played 18 games – three less than Paix – but has an impressive 10 try assists.
The Broncos have strike power all over the park and will be a threat to the Storm.
But the attack all starts with the hooker at dummy half – and it’s there that the Storm have a huge advantage.
