Cameron Munster's maturity in big games continues to astound the Melbourne hierarchy after the five-eighth stood tall on Friday night against South Sydney in their epic 29-28 semi-final triumph at AAMI Park.
It was Munster who kicked the winning field goal with three minutes and 28 seconds left, and the Maroons number six also broke the line seven times on his way to a masterful second-half display.
Storm skipper Cameron Smith has noticed the extra confidence in Munster's game this year.
"He had some really crucial plays for us - a couple of half line-breaks and setting guys up," Smith said.
"He's becoming more and more confident within himself to do that. Each time I see him come back from a representative game, he's more confident about his ability and what he can produce on the field."
And on the drop-goal, Smith commented it's not something Munster practices regularly, but his talent shone through.
"He's a guy that has natural talent. He has a feel for the game. That (wasn't even called until the last minute. Whoever played that ball, had a crack."
Match Highlights: Storm v Rabbitohs - Finals Week 1, 2018
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy was delighted with how his team overcame an aggressive South Sydney effort.
"For us to keep bashing away and hanging in there - with the amount of pressure Souths put on us - we got some bad calls tonight. I might be wrong, but watching it live, we got some bad calls. For us to overcome that, it was a good performance."
Brodie Croft was a late call-up to play halfback and impressed in a composed performance - which featured an eye-catching run to set up a try for winger Suliasi Vunivalu seconds from halftime.
Bellamy refused to confirm if the playmaker would get the nod ahead of Ryley Jacks or Jahrome Hughes for the preliminary final.
"We probably can't guarantee he's (Croft) going to be there the next game we play, but one plus is they all have some experience playing in that position this year," he said.
The Storm now get a week off before again playing at AAMI Park for a spot in the grand final.
"Everyone's looking for a rest this time of year," Bellamy said.
"It's hard to go through four games to win the competition."
