Eliesa Katoa is the NRL's best second-rower.

At this point, there are no arguments to be made on that front.

Rewarded with selection to the Dally M team of the year this week at the awards ceremony, it only confirmed what every rugby league fan already knew.

No one has come close to Katoa on the edge this year.

It was something that you could see coming from a mile off. His signing with the Melbourne Storm after impressing during his junior days with the New Zealand Warriors was always going to take his game to a new level under the masterful eye of Craig Bellamy.

He joins a long list of players who have gone to the Storm looking to improve and become among the best in their position anywhere in the rugby league world.

But Katoa is one of the best signings the Storm have made.

There are not that many second-rowers who are in the elite class around the competition. Maybe in one particular skill or another, but none are as well rounded as Katoa.

He is really the complete package.

His ability in the air is quite clearly what he stands out for. The only second-rower anywhere in the NRL you could argue goes toe to toe with the Melbourne star is Jeremiah Nanai at the North Queensland Cowboys.

But if you were to compare those two players, it's night and day when it comes to defence.

Katoa's positioning and tackling ability is as good as any second-rower in the competition. The same cannot be said for the Townsville-based Queensland Origin star, although he has certainly improved that element of his game over the last 12 months.

Other elite second-rowers around the league might be able to match Katoa in one or two areas, whether that be the lines he runs, or the defensive reads he makes, but none have the whole package.

Yet, Katoa goes somewhat under the radar at the Storm.

And maybe that's not exactly a surprise when he is playing in an elite team coached by Craig Bellamy that contains Origin stars Cameron Munster and Harry Grant, New Zealand Kiwis halfback Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen at fullback.

The Storm have it all throughout their side, but the "big four" catchphrase is synonymous with the club.

Previously, it was Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and Greg Inglis.

Even when Inglis left, it was still the big three in the Victorian capital who kept the side competitive when, after the mess of the salary cap scandal, they could well have broken in half.

That the Storm have barely missed a preliminary final in the last decade though tells you all you need to know about the way this side go about their work, and the stars they have leading from the front on what seems to be a never ending production line.

But it's the unsung heroes who have always made Melbourne the side they are.

In the current team, that's players like Katoa, prop Josh King, Mr Fix It Nick Meaney and even bench forward Alec MacDonald. Casual fans may not even know who they are, but without them, the Storm don't get close to the success they have.

Katoa has become more than the unsung hero though.

He adds so much on the edge, whether running his own lines, competing in the air or being the link man to the outside runners.

While Brisbane will have to apply plenty of focus to shutting down the 'big four' if they are going to come away from this grand final with any shot at the Provan-Summons Trophy, they are also going to need to shut down Katoa.

He is absolutely Melbourne's X-Factor, a man who can break the game open and ensure points are always a threat of being scored while giving away nothing in defence.

As it stands, Katoa has 13 tries in 25 games this year, to go with 7 line break assists and 142 metres per contest, while he also holds one of the best tackle efficiencies for any second-rower in the NRL - a notoriously tough spot to defend.

He is aided by the players around him but make no mistake.

Katoa adds a mountain to this Melbourne team, and it's a mountain Brisbane must overcome if they are a chance on Sunday.