Premiership-winning coach Phil Gould is backing the North Queensland Cowboys’ class to defeat the wrestling Melbourne Storm and go on to their second ever grand final at ANZ Stadium.

Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, the Panthers GM says the Cowboys have too much spark for the Storm but added Melbourne weren’t a spent force at home.

“The Cowboys were brilliant in their demolition of the Sharks at the weekend” Gould wrote.

“A repeat of that intensity will see them get home over the Storm.

“One could not have been more impressed with the opening gambit by the two big Cowboy front-row forwards Matt Scott and James Tamou, in their crushing of the Cronulla Sharks.

“Their clash this Saturday night with Storm big man Jesse Bromwich will be worth the price of admission alone.

The Storm are a very professional football team and if allowed to get into their rhythm of playing their own game they can virtually stifle any opposition at any time.

“Their record at home in Melbourne is outstanding and you couple this with the fact that the Cowboys’ record in this part of the world is so poor, no one will be surprised with a Melbourne victory.”