St Helens-bound forward Curtis Sironen is hoping to end his NRL career with a premiership after being called into the Manly squad for Friday’s opening finals match against minor premiers Melbourne at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
Sironen, whose father Paul terrorised opponents during the 1990 and 1994 Kangaroo tours, received a late call up to the interchange after hooker Lachlan Croker suffered a back injury in the Sea Eagles final training session on Thursday.
The 28-year-old second-rower has played just five matches for Manly this season and missed last weekend’s 44-18 defeat of North Queensland but now has the chance to leave with a premiership ring.
The stunning form of superstar fullback Tom Trbojevic has propelled the Sea Eagles from cellar dwellers before his return from a hamstring injury in round six to a top four finals berth and Des Hasler is the only NRL coach with a winning record against Melbourne’s Craig Bellamy.
Trbojevic has scored 25 tries and produce 27 try assists in just 15 matches this season to lay claim to favouritism for the Dally M medal as the NRL player of the year.
Since his return in round six, the Sea Eagles are averaging 36.2 points per match – more than Melbourne’s 33.96 average for a season in which they scored a record 815 points and won 19 consecutive matches.
"Manly have probably been the form team of the last four or five weeks,” Bellamy said of his finals opponents. “It seems as though they've timed their run and they've had a great run with injuries.
"Over the last two or three weeks I think they've had all their players available and to be playing like they are... and to finish in the top four like Manly have done, they've done a great job after the start they had.”
The winner of the match will receive a week off while the loser faces the victor of Saturday’s elimination final between Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast in Townsville.
The Titans claimed the last berth in the final eight after thrashing the Warriors 44-0 in a match they needed to win by 11 points or more following earlier losses by Canberra and Cronulla.
The Justin Holbrook-coached team take on a Roosters outfit bolstered by the return of Kiwis prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and fellow enforcer Victor Radley.
Lachlan Lam, the son of Wigan coach Adrian Lam, has again been named at halfback alongside former Leigh five-eighth Drew Hutchison, with Leeds-born Sam Walker on the bench.
Tonga internationals Daniel Tupou (200) and Sio Siua Taukeiaho (150) will celebrate miletone games in the sudden-death fixture.
Penrith, who finished second, meet third-placed South Sydney on Saturday, with the victor just one more win away from a grand final appearance and the loser needing to overcome either Parramatta or Newcastle next weekend.
The sixth-placed Eels take on the seventh-placed Knights on Sunday in Rockhampton, with the season ending for the loser.
The Rabbitohs have been largely written off after losing superstar fullback Latrell Mitchell to a six-match suspension but English prop Tom Burgess said Wayne Bennett would have the players fired up for the clash with Penrith.
"He's the man motivator. That's his thing,” Burgess said. “He's been around a lot of teams for a lot of years, so he knows how to get his teams up and that's where he really shines.
"He's got a great speech in him."
