"The point that I think everyone misses is we're just not going to put up with any of their crap. If they wrestle, push or shove ... we'll stand up to them. That's probably more the point. "It's not about getting under their skin, it's just that we're a tough, experienced footy team that doesn't take any rubbish. That's what it's more about. It's more an attitude of, 'we're not going to get pushed around by you'." Cronulla's pack is sweating on the availability of co-captain Paul Gallen, who will be given a Thursday deadline to prove he's overcome a shoulder complaint. They're already without Wade Graham (ACL) for the rest of the finals series. 'We'll stand up to them': Cronulla have never taken a backwards step against the Storm. Credit:AAP But hard heads Andrew Fifita, Luke Lewis, Matt Prior and Aaron Woods are all well versed in battles with the Melbourne forwards, led by New Zealand star Jesse Bromwich and returning man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

Yet it is former Australian and Queensland captain Smith who holds the key to the Storm, having enjoyed a chequered recent history against the Sharks. The NRL games record-holder produced one of the classiest presentation speeches in rugby league history after Cronulla scrambled to their first title two years ago. Loading But since then he has been dubbed "referee Smith" by a frustrated Flanagan following a 2017 game - a comment the coach later apologised for - and sent to the sin bin for the first time in his career for dissent after the most penalised match in NRL history between the sides earlier this year. On his approach to Smith, Flanagan said: "Sometimes, without going too much into it, you've got to attack their leader.

"Our philosophy on a lot of the best players in the competition is, 'go and get them, don't let them play'. It's the same with Billy [Slater]. We're not going to sit back and see what Billy brings, we're going to go to Billy. "That's our approach to a lot of the better players in the competition. Let's be aggressive with them and don't give them time [otherwise they'll hurt you]. Cameron Smith is one of the better ones. "They've also got some big boys in their team with Bromwich, [Asofa-] Solomona and their back-rowers are quality players as well. We know what we're going to get and we need to go there with that tough, resilient attitude that it's going to be a fight." We're just not going to put up with any of their crap. If they wrestle, push or shove ... we'll stand up to them. Shane Flanagan The Storm are just 80 minutes away from the chance to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Broncos in 1992-93, also providing a fitting send-off to the retiring Slater and Ryan Hoffman.