The Mole: Why Panthers 'X-factor' is crucial to Melbourne Storm's NRL grand final game plan

The Storm have sent a clear message to Penrith's X-factor Viliame Kikau on Sunday night with their total domination of Canberra hit man Josh Papalii last week.

One of the key ingredients of Storm coach Craig Bellamy's game plan is to pin-point the main metre-eater in opposition teams in big games - and shut him down.

Papalii felt the full force of the Storm's giant forwards last weekend, often being driven back in gang tackles.

The Maroons Origin star, who missed just one game in a mighty season, managed just 79 running metres - his lowest haul of the year.

With Papalii unable to get the Raiders on the front foot, star five-eighth and Dally M winner Jack Wighton was also relatively ineffective, making just 40 metres and having little impact on the game.

The Storm's plan is to do a similar job on Kikau, and by doing so reduce the time and space for the Panthers' main man Nathan Cleary.

Kikau does his running wider than Papalii, a middle forward, but the principle is the same - stop the go-forward and you are halfway to victory.

Cleary has been the most dangerous attacking player near the opposition tryline in the NRL this season.

He takes on the line himself or creates tries for the men outside him with pin-point kicks and bullet passes.

The big question going into Sunday night is will he get the field position to do so if the Storm neutralise Kikau and reduce the Panthers' time in enemy territory.