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Sport | NRL

Barnett previews NRL grand final

The NRL season comes to a close on Sunday night when the Melbourne Storm and the Sydney Roosters clash in the grand final.

In what has been the most competitive NRL season to date, where two points separate the top eight teams, and the minor premiership was won by the Roosters on points differential, former Kiwis captain Richie Barnett is predicting a very close match this weekend.

Barnett thinks the Melbourne Storm will emerge with the title at the conclusion of Sunday's match in Sydney, saying Melbourne are "true performers and they look like they're going in to this game with a bit more of a bill of health.

"But there is an x-factor on the other side that just makes me want to go "wow, this game should be a must watch,"" he says.

The Roosters welcome back forward Dylan Napa from suspension this weekend, Barnett says his return will help the team pack get some momentum.

"When you're under the pump when you've only got three or four meters to think what you're going to do, and you need a big body to get over the advantage line, he's it."

Barnett is not predicting the most attractive game this weekend but for the "genuine watcher of rugby league, I think you'll understand, 'wow! That's the war of attrition.'"

The competitiveness of this season could see the grand final result rely on one or two key moments.

"It could be [Dylan Napa's} tackle, or [Blake] Ferguson's footwork at the line, or Issac Liu or just stepping through and just carting that ball and just breaking that tackle," Barnett says.

Win or lose, Sunday will bring to a close the career of Melbourne's legendary fullback Billy Slater.

Barnett says Slater is the influencer of the Storm side and could be the difference on Sunday.

"Having it being his last game makes it even more pivotal for Melbourne.  I think they go up a level or two and his game is just ridiculous- what he does on the field- and he will be, I think, a game changer."

A former fullback himself, Barnett believes Billy Slater is lucky not to been suspended for a shoulder charge on Cronulla's Sosaia Feki in the semi-final last week.

Slater successfully argued he was thrown off by Feki's footwork.  However Barnett says, "Even if Sosaia Feki was to step back in, [Slater] didn't lower his body at any stage.  I think what it was is just get Billy Slater to play, and then you manage a whole story behind that."

Slater's former Storm teammate Cooper Cronk is racing against time to make the field after injuring his shoulder on the weekend.

Targeted heavily by the Rabbitohs defence, Cronk was injured in the first half but managed to continue to drive his side around the park.

Barnett describes Cronk as the pivot in the Roosters side and if he is able to recover in time and take the field, the Roosters will feel confident they can emerge victorious.

"He executes everything well, we know that, but it's experience in that key position, he just knows what to do at the right time and I think everybody else feels really comfortable around having Cooper in that side.  [Roosters are] probably going to wait till the last minute to say he's playing."

The game kicks off at 10.20pm (NZT) on Sunday at ANZ Stadium, Sydney.