He may have faced a medical just to take the field in the second half of the Melbourne Storm’s preliminary final victory over the Sydney Roosters, but Harry Grant had the last laugh in front of a very rowdy fan.
Celebrating the 48-18 preliminary final victory over the Sydney Roosters, the Storm hooker couldn’t resist a cheeky visit to the opponent’s fan bay at AAMI Park.
There he was met by a very angry Roosters fan, who gave the Storm star a bite and some obscene gestures while he laughed and gave him the thumbs up.
“He’s having a good time there, Harry Grant,” his former Queensland State of Origin teammate Cooper Cronk said as commentator.
“He loves it,” said Fox Sports commentator Yvonne Sampson.
“Roosters fans are absolutely raving about Harry and he is taking it like a champ.”
It was a moment that also went viral among football fans.
‘Was he saying Melbourne Storm is number 1?’ one asked sarcastically.
‘I couldn’t accept the pathetic loss and the split with Harry. “Harry, that laugh is just rubbing scars,” another posted.
‘Excellent Harry. That’s the Australian way, what an attitude, I love it,” posted another.
Harry Grant applauds the Melbourne Storm crowd after beating the Sydney Roosters to earn a place in the NRL grand final
Grant gives a thumbs up to a very disgruntled Roosters fan who was making a rude gesture towards star Storm Hooker.
Grant found the whole incident funny and laughed as Roosters fans booed him.
While Melbourne’s injured trio have already declared their fitness for the NRL grand final, coach Craig Bellamy said superstars Grant and Jahrome Hughes hardly played in the second half of their win over the Sydney Roosters.
The Storm beat the Roosters 48-18 in their preliminary final at AAMI Park on Friday night with captain Grant and halfback Hughes, who scored a try hat-trick, among the heroes.
But the pair, along with sacking center Nick Meaney, struggled to finish the match.
Hughes suffered a neck injury, while Grant suffered a calf problem early in the match and then Meaney suffered a knock to his knee.
Hughes and Meaney left in the final five minutes of the game while Grant played the full 80, but the trio looked ginger after the game, with ice and bandages on their injuries.
Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen were highly successful in the victory, even though Grant was battling an injury.
Bellamy praised his players’ resilience in pushing themselves hard when the team needed them to keep playing, with a grand final spot on the line.
“It just shows that we all know what good players they are, what talented players they are, but they are tough bastards,” said the master coach, in his 10th NRL grand final.
“To be able to play the second half like they did shows that they care a lot about what the team needs and that they are willing to take risks for it.”
“We had a decent lead at halftime, but it was too early to pack up the tent and think we were home, so I said to them (Grant and Hughes), if you can come out and play another 15 or 20 minutes.” and see how it goes, we could replace it.
“But then Nick got hurt and we weren’t really sure how bad it was.”
Grant described his injury as minor and said it did not hamper his play, with four try assists and 31 tackles backing up his claim.
“I got a little bump on my calf and then it felt a little tight,” the 26-year-old said.
“We have a longer lead time, so I’ll be smart about managing it tonight and over the next few days, but it will be good.”
Grant is expected to be fit for the NRL grand final against Penrith or Cronulla.
The biggest concern for the decider against three-time champions Penrith or Cronulla is prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
He was condemned and reported after knocking out Lindsay Collins with an alleged high tackle on the kick-off, and will find out on Saturday morning if he faces a ban.
Anything more than a grade one charge would leave Asofa-Solomoa facing a suspension of at least three matches and needing a win in the judiciary to play in the decider.
“You’d hate to see him miss a big game,” Bellamy said.
‘I didn’t think it was a container of sin. Penalty, I thought it was fair enough, but that’s just me.
“I saw it live and I saw a replay, and that was my impression… I didn’t think there was much to it.”