As the 2008 National Rugby League regular season wrapped up this past weekend, the Melbourne Storm finished the regular season at the top of the table to win a record third straight minor premiership. (For those unfamiliar with the term, “minor premiership” describes the top team at the end of the regular season before the playoff rounds begin; the minor premiership winner is awared the J. J. Giltinan Shield). The minor premierships have so far led to back-to-back grand finals. In 2006, the Storm went upset by the Brisbane Broncos in the grand final, but won handily over the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2007 and will be hoping to repeat in 2008.
It’s easy to see why, given that Storm players have been involved in two of the most exciting tries in rugby league this year. First, Greg Inglis set up an Australia try with this magical move in a test match against New Zealand:
Then, Israel Folau scored a pair of tries for Queensland in the third match of the State of Origin series, the second of which was gravity-defying:
It will be exciting to see what these and other Storm stars will do in the upcoming NRL knockout matches. Of course, not everyone is a Storm backer, as you can see in this insurance company ad from a few years back featuring some Brisbane Broncos:
