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THEY are vastly different in style and personality but the two number sevens, Daly Cherry-Evans and Mitchell Pearce, hold the key to victory on Sunday night.
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Halfbacks win grand finals. Think Alfie at Brisbane, Ricky Stuart at Canberra, Sterlo at Parramatta, Joey at Newcastle or Gower at Penrith.
And while both Cherry-Evans and Pearce play alongside terrific number sixes, they know when the dust settles at fulltime, the post-match autopsy will begin with the performance of the number seven.
Check out the video above comparing Daly Cherry-Evans and Andrew Johns
Cherry-Evans has been the best player throughout the finals. He's gone to another level, he's simply outstanding.
While last Saturday Pearce used the big occasion to put in his finest performance as a first grade footballer.
Their personalities match their styles. When you talk to Daly Cherry-Evans he looks you straight in the eye and engages 100 percent. His focus could burn a hole in you.
I've seen that focus come into his game, he controls his team, he takes ownership of sets of six, he has become Manly's dominant player.
Have a conversation with Mitchell Pearce and you get his attention in fits and starts.
His eyes dart around, taking in everything that's going on in the vicinity. He talks in explosive bursts, his toes tap away, he fidgets, he's bloody hard to nail down.
His football can be similar.
Mitchell isn't the type of halfback who you expect to control long periods of play. He picks his moments and throws himself into the situation at full tilt.
Some players involve themselves in attack with a mind for being patient. When Mitchell calls the ball it's all systems go.
Geoff Toovey and Trent Robinson deserve huge credit for how their number sevens have developed but so do the men who have handled them individually, with specialised coaching, Andrew Johns and Jason Taylor.
When I watch Cherry-Evans play, I see Andrew.
Andrew has worked with quite a few playmakers over the past few years, but in Cherry-Evans he's found the halfback who understands the complexities of what he is teaching him.
Daly is no longer just a quick set of hands, shuffling the ball onto Glenn Stewart. He is now the dominant player.
Manly have had the tendency to play a little too sideways on that right-hand side but Daly's run first, pass second mentality has them far more direct and lethal.
Daly is a rare halfback because he has the capability to organise a team, while still being a lethal running threat.
Manly need to break the bank to keep he and Kieran Foran together. As long as these boys are in the six and seven, Manly are at least a top-four side.
Meanwhile at the Roosters, Jason Taylor deserves huge credit for the job he's done with Mitchell. I'm not surprised Pearce has improved under JT's tutelage - he was one of the most organised halfbacks to play. What Taylor lacked in physicality he made up for in smarts.
Taylor has encouraged Pearce to play to his strengths and designed the Roosters attack to those strengths.
You don't see the Roosters setting up for long-winded set pieces - Pearce isn't that type of halfback.
Instead they power through the middle and allow Pearce to pick and choose his moments off the back of the momentum his forwards have created.
And when Mitchell decides it's time to take the line on, his teammates are programmed beautifully into knowing where the holes will be.
Last Saturday night Pearce was electric, his direct running early in the contest set up his ball playing later on.
He picked and chose his moments perfectly.
The Roosters have been very close to the best team right throughout the year but Manly are super tough, experienced and learn from defeats better than any other side.
I saw that in past years as they battled the Storm and I saw it again last week as they bounced back from two previous defeats to the Rabbits to get them when it counted, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see it again Sunday.
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