It's being billed as the battle between the Canberra entertainers and Melbourne wrestlers, but Raiders coach Ricky Stuart just wants to make sure his team isn't playing on a UFC-style octagon.
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The Raiders flew to Melbourne on Wednesday to settle in before a grand-final qualifier against the Storm at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Stuart doesn't want to be drawn into the debate about Melbourne's wrestling tactics that have made them the NRL's most dominant team for the past decade.
But he always wants the referees to take control of a free-flowing game to ensure the preliminary final contest is a match of skill, not wrestling.
"I'm getting a bit fed up with all the talk about the wrestle and all the talk about the 10 metres," Stuart said.
"They're questions for the ref. I'd rather talk about football. Cronulla showed everyone how to play us [two weeks ago] ... stand at eight metres, don't listen to the ref, jump early and scrag the crap out of us on the ground.
"Do you want to play the game in an octagon or do you want to play it on a football field and have a spectacle. That's a question for the referees, not for me.
"No one is after preferential treatment, we just want a game of football that's interpreted to the rules of standing back 10 metres, making the tackle and getting back."
The Storm came under fire from North Queensland Cowboys coach Paul Green two weeks ago when he launched a pre-game attack on Melbourne's wrestling tactics.
There were claims earlier this week that three Cowboys players suffered neck injuries after their loss to the Storm in the opening week of the finals.
Several coaches have expressed their concerns about the way the Storm use wrestling to slow the game down and stunt opposition attack.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy lashed the Raiders in 2012 when his players were accused of using a "chin-strap" tackle against the Green Machine.
"I'm not quite sure whether [then Canberra coach] David Furner thinks we're a bunch of hillbillies down here, I'm not quite sure how he thinks we're not that smart," Bellamy said at the time.
"If he thinks we actually teach our players to attack the head and necks of other players when that part of the game is so highly under scrutiny these days by the referees, by the review committee … Again, I know we're not that smart, but we ain't that dumb either."
But Stuart is trying to avoid the wrestle talk and avoid a slanging match about tactics ahead of a knock-out battle against close mate Bellamy.
The Raiders have earned a reputation of being the best attacking team in the competition this year, scoring more than 100 points more than their closest rival.
Stuart praised officials last week for enforcing the 10-metre rule after Cronulla got in the Raiders' faces and he hopes the game plan will excite fans.
"It's forecast to be dry down there so hopefully it will be an open game and we'll see a real spectacle," Stuart said.
"I hope our fans saw a great spectacle last weekend, I thought both [finals last week] were great spectacles."
NRL PRELIMINARY FINAL
Raiders team: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Junior Paulo, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Josh Papalii, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Sia Soliola. Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Luke Bateman, 16. Paul Vaughan, 17. Joe Tapine.
Storm team: 1. Cameron Munster, 2. Suliasi Vunivalu, 3. William Chambers, 4. Cheyse Blair, 5. Marika Koroibete, 6. Blake Green, 7. Cooper Cronk, 8. Jesse Bromwich, 9. Cameron Smith (c), 10. Jordan McLean, 11. Kevin Proctor, 12. Tohu Harris, 13. Dale Finucane. Interchange: 14. Kenny Bromwich, 15. Tim Glasby, 16. Christian Welch, 17. Ben Hampton, 20. Matt White, 21. Felise Kaufusi.
