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Minor premiers Storm maul Sharks, book NRL prelim berth

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Minor premiers Melbourne have kept Cronulla scoreless in an imposing second-half to win their qualifying final at AAMI Park 37-10.

SNAPSHOT OF THE SECOND NRL QUALIFYING FINAL:

Result: Melbourne bt Cronulla 37-10 in front of 26,326 fans at AAMI Park

Key moment: The tone was set from the start. Cronulla fullback Will Kennedy spilt the ball from the kick-off, handing possession back to Melbourne. Storm superstar Cameron Munster wasted no time, tricking the Sharks' defence with a dummy before crossing for the easiest, and earliest, of tries in the first minute.

Stat: With both AFL semi-finals taking place outside of Melbourne this weekend, the Storm became the hottest ticket in town. The crowd of 26,326 was the highest for a week-one NRL finals game at AAMI Park.

What's next? Melbourne will have a week before hosting a preliminary final against the Sydney Roosters, Manly, or Canterbury. The Sharks will be at home next weekend to the winner of the North Queensland-Newcastle elimination final.