There are many more reasons to hope for a Storm victory than a Canterbury win:
1. No club that entices our incumbent, successful, coach to leave his post at least a year early despite a contract deserves our support.
2. In addition to 1, no club that does that and then seeks to blame the victim, Manly, for allowing it to do that deserves our support.
3. No club that entices not oUnly the coach but several support staff from Manly and then goes after a batch of players deserves our support.
4. No club that brings the above to public attention immediately after Manly wins the Premiership, thus guaranteeing spoiled celebrations deserves our support.
5. No club with a history of offside play, including offside play that costs Manly not only a Premiership in 1995 but a semi final win this year deserves our support.
6. No club that was the only successful traditional club in Sydney to go over to Super League, nearly destroying Manly, forcing Manly to merge then privatise, earning a truckload of funds in the process that are now being used to do 1-4 above while Manly, which remained loyal to the traditional competition and organisation and brother clubs, struggles for funds, deserves our support.
The Storm were not part of Super League. They breached the cap and were punished. Despite their offside marker play last week they deserved to win. On balance it is very clear that it is the Storm that deserve our support. Go Storm. Storm by 40. I will be hoping the Storm win as I watch a DVD of the 78 grand final at 5.30 pm.