MARK ‘SPUDD’ CARROLL: Josh Addo-Carr denies he took cocaine but why would any NRL player risk a drug scandal?

I’m still catching my breath after that epic elimination final between the Sea Eagles and the Bulldogs.

You won’t see better — end to end attack, huge hits and 50,000 fans cheering themselves silly in the grandstand.

A lot of the headlines leading up to the game were about Josh Addo-Carr but I will get to that a bit later.

From a selfish point of view, the result was even better! My old Sea Eagles swooping late to win 24-22.

But as I drove out of Accor Stadium, something was troubling me (and I’m not talking about the hour-long wait to get out of P1!).

I was thinking … what does it matter?

Same for the Cowboys beating the Knights the previous night.

Because, I think we all know where this NRL finals campaign is headed.

A Penrith-Melbourne grand final on October 6.

The rest of the matches during the finals are just a sideshow. An appetiser to the main course.

Those two teams are simply on another level.

Let’s start with the Panthers.

There were some questions being asked about whether they had the hunger to win a fourth straight premiership.

Bloody hell! Talk about poking the bear.

The poor old Roosters walked through the gates of hell and were thoroughly plucked by the end of the first half, trailing 24-0.

The Panthers have all the crucial positions filled with players who are among the best in the world.

Just look at the bloke in the number 7 jersey. Nathan Cleary comes back from three weeks out with a shoulder injury and kills it.

That time on the sideline has made Cleary stronger. He looks fresh and was jumping out of his skin.

What about his turn and chase on Connor Watson after his kick was charged-down? Unbelievable stuff!

After watching that game I thought — who’s going to beat this mob?

Then 24 hours later the Storm put the cleaners through the Sharks.

Cameron Munster and Harry Grant have been patchy through the latter rounds, but they reminded everyone why they’re two of the NRL’s biggest stars.

Cronulla just couldn’t keep up.

In fact, that’s one thing I noticed over the weekend. The Panthers and Storm appear to be playing at a higher tempo than the rest.

It’s going to be a hell of a grand final.

You talk about hunger – Cleary and Co. would love to avenge their defeat to the Storm in the 2020 decider.

Penrith won 17 in a row that season only to lose the game that really counts. Don’t tell me that’s not in the back of their minds.

The other factor is sending off Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris with another premiership. Those two have been a huge part of all their success.

I’d love to see the Panthers win the competition again, and not just because that’s where I started my career.

I just want to witness some history!

I was born the year after the great St George team clocked up its record 11th premiership in a row in 1966.

No team has won four in a row since the Dragons.

I watched Parramatta win three straight in the 1980s and I should have won three in a row with Manly in the 1990s but had to settle for just one.

This Panthers team owns this time of year and I’m backing them to make it a four-peat.

The Sea Eagles could get to a preliminary final though, the way they played against the Dogs.

Down by 10 late in the game it was the big guns Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Trbojevic who stepped up and got them home.

That set play from the scrum win for DCE to score was a complete magic act! I didn’t even see where the pass from Luke Brooks ended up. It reminded me of the passes David Campese used to pop back in the Wallabies glory days (a long time ago).

Turbo was busted but showed a heap of guts. He made that crucial line-break to set up Tolu Koula’s match-winner, which was just about the try of the season.

I give the Bulldogs an A+ for their season.

They brought a real air of excitement to the finals and didn’t let their fans down.

I don’t know how Canterbury is going to deal with this Addo-Carr saga.

He’s apparently denying he took any drugs, even though we are told his second sample from a roadside test came back positive to cocaine.

Without speaking about Addo-Carr’s case, I’ve never understood why players would risk their careers to take drugs.

It’s not just the money side of things.

You selfishly jeopardise the premiership dreams of your teammates by taking drugs and potentially getting caught.

When you get together every November, you make a pact (or you should) to do everything you can to win a comp.

For 27 to 30 weeks a year, everything has to be about the team.

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED

I thought I heard the whining of a 747 taking off over Botany Bay, but it turns out it was the sounds of Sharks supporters in the Shire.

Complaining they don’t get a home final at Pointsbet Stadium.

That they shouldn’t have to travel all the way to Allianz Stadium to watch them play the Cowboys.

Get real Sharks people!

This is a sudden-death semifinal and you should be prepared to travel to the ends of the earth to support your team.

Get in your cars, pay a couple of bucks in tolls, and cheer on your boys.

Look at the atmosphere at Accor Stadium for example.

Sea Eagles supporters made the effort and were there in large numbers which made for an unforgettable afternoon and probably helped them beat the Bulldogs.

And from a rugby league perspective, we need as many of you Sharkies at Allianz as possible on Friday night … otherwise we’ll be embarrassed by the Sydney Swans sell-out next door at the SCG.

So, get to the game!