If the Melbourne Storm have learnt anything it will be not to fire up Canberra Raiders centre Joey Leilua. Not only did it take him just 47 seconds to score against them last time they met, but his second try came as a direct result of a questionable tackle on one of the most explosive centres in the NRL. Held up by two Storm players, Jesse Bromwich decided to give one half of "Leipana" a cheap shot in the back when he was defenceless. It clearly riled Leilua and he wasn't shy in letting Bromwich know all about it when he scored a few plays later in the set. He and his best mate, winger Jordan Rapana, are clearly key players for the Raiders and ones the Storm will want to keep quiet.
Up! Up! the winner
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The Cronulla Sharks might already be in the NRL decider, but there are plenty who think tonight's preliminary final will decide who wins the premiership. They finished one-two at the end of the home-and-away season, with the Storm the best defensive team in the comp and the Raiders boasting the best attack. Former Raiders fullback Clinton Schifcofske was one who felt this way. If attack triumphs over defence and the Storm exit at the penultimate stage once again, then it will be the Raiders' first grand final since 1994, which was when the Green Machine's golden era came to an end. Could this be the beginning of another?
The changing of the guard
It's the world's best hooker up against the man who many are tipping will replace him at the top. The Kangaroos captain and England international will go head to head in a battle that will go a long way to deciding who will meet Cronulla next weekend. Cameron Smith is the heartbeat of the Storm and has been ever present during their time as the benchmark of the NRL over the past decade. Raiders rake Josh Hodgson is clearly the same for the Raiders and was inspirational last week when he miraculously came back from an ankle injury to lead them into the prelim. Canberra legend Mal Meninga rates them one-two in the world respectively, although the gap's closing. Will the baton be passed tonight?
Can Croker catch El Masri?
If all goes to plan, Raiders captain Jarrod Croker will bring up his 300th point of the season tonight. It would make him just one of the three players to have achieved the feat, joining former Bulldog Hazem El Masri and ex-Tiger Brett Hodgson. It would be yet another gong for the 26-year-old, who this season has become the Raiders' all-time leading point scorer, passing David Furner, as well as setting a new Canberra season record after beating Schifcofske's mark. He'll probably pass Jason Croker's club record tries total for the Raiders in the next couple of years as well. He's about 1000 points behind El Masri's all-time record and closing fast. It's not hard to see what former Raiders captain Alan Tongue thinks he'll go down as one of the club greats.
Smackdown the wrestlemania
With all the talk this week, you'd think the Storm's best player was Hulk Hogan or Andre the Giant and the Raiders are going to find themselves in a figure-four leg lock every time they take a hit up. But that doesn't mean the heat isn't on the referees when it comes to their officiating of the ruck tonight. Raiders coach Ricky Stuart wants a big 10m combined with quick play the balls, whereas Storm mentor Craig Bellamy wants his defenders to slow the game down. Whatever the outcome, expect this to be a hot topic post game. Ironically, it was Raiders hookers Josh Hodgson whose tackle fell foul of the officials last time the two teams met, when he was suspended for one game for a grapple tackle on Bromwich.
Big bopping along
Behemoths, wrecking balls, big boppers, monsters, massive units: Whatever you want to call them, whichever pack gets on top will probably be playing again next week. The Raiders have man mountains Shannon Boyd and Junior Paulo, while the Storm have Jordan McLean and Jesse Bromwich. Melbourne's pack has taken a hit with the absence of Asofa Nelson-Solomona (elbow). But there'll still be big blokes that like wrestling wild boar with their bare hands running straight at one another. Bring it on!