SYDNEY, Oct 3, 2008 (AFP) - Defending champions Melbourne Storm find themselves in the unfamiliar role of underdogs for Sunday's Australian National Rugby League final, a rematch of last year's showdown against the Manly Sea Eagles.

The Storm, long regarded as the best team in the league, line up for their third consecutive grand final, with a team studded with 12 internationals that smashed the Sea Eagles 34-8 in last season's decider.

But their invincibility has taken a battering in the month-long finals series.

The Storm went into the playoffs as the minor premiers after the 26 home and away rounds, only to be beaten in the final minutes by eighth team New Zealand Warriors 18-15 at Melbourne's home ground.

That boilover cost the top-ranked Storm the next week off and they were pitched into a sudden-death struggle with six-time champion the Broncos in Brisbane.

In an epic contest the Storm came from 0-12 down at halftime and got up with 46 seconds left thanks to a winning try by Greg Inglis to pull off a 16-14 win.

But Melbourne paid a high price, with skipper and Test hooker Cambodia Smith cited for a 'grapple' head-pulling tackle and suspended for two matches, effectively putting him out of Sunday's grand final at the Olympic stadium.

Storm coped well without him in a 28-0 victory over Cronulla to advance to the grand final, but his missing leadership could be crucial in the high stakes decider.

There is a belief that Melbourne are feeling the pinch of their gruelling season and that Manly are better for the experience of their 26-point loss 12 months ago, and will present a stronger challenge to the Storm.

But since last year's grand final, the Storm have won both their encounters with the Sea Eagles, trouncing them 26-4 in Melbourne in April and weathering everything that Manly could throw at them in a 16-10 victory at Brookvale Oval two months ago.

Manly have their admirers after a polished last start 32-6 win over the Warriors as they bid for their first title since 1996 and seventh overall.

Much centres on whether Manly playmakers scrumhalf Matt Orford and standoff Jamie Lyon can impose themselves after they were nullified in last season's decider.

Melbourne possess a match-winning backline featuring some of the modern game's biggest stars, fullback Billy Slater, centre Israel Folau and standoff Greg Inglis, while scrumhalf Cooper Cronk is a fringe Test player.

The decider will also be a farewell for two of the Australian game's great survivors, 15-year 349-game Manly veteran Steve Menzies and 262-game Storm journeyman Matt Geyer.

Manly Sea Eagles - Brett Stewart; Michael Robertson, Steve Bell, Steve Matai, David Williams; Jamie Lyon, Matt Orford (captain); Brent Kite, Matt Ballin, Josh Perry; Anthony Watmough, Glenn Hall; Glenn Stewart.

Interchange: Heath L'Estrange, Mark Bryant, Jason King, Steve Menzies, Adam Cuthbertson, Luke Williamson (two to be omitted)

Melbourne Storm - Billy Slater; Steve Turner, Matt Geyer, Israel Folau, Anthony Quinn; Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk (captain); Jeff Lima, Russ Aitken, Brett White; Michael Crocker, Jeremy Smith; Dallas Johnson.

Interchange: Scott Anderson, Adam Blair, Sika Manu, Antonio Kaufusi, Aiden Tolman, Brett Anderson (two to be omitted)