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Cooper Cronk calls for Melbourne Storm focus in NRL

Melbourne Storm star Cooper Cronk told his team-mates to focus on earning a spot in the NRL grand final, not his 300-game milestone.

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Cronk, 32, will become the 25th player in NRL history to reach the mark when the Storm face the Canberra Raiders in a preliminary final at AAMI Park on Saturday.

The half-back, however, said the Storm's focus needed to be on the prize rather than his personal achievement.

"It is a massive occasion, and it's one I'll be fortunate and very proud to be a part of on Saturday night," Cronk told a news conference on Wednesday.

"But as I've said to the boys all week there's something greater on offer here for this football club.

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"I want that to be the forefront and I'm happy to take a back seat leading into a preliminary final."

A Queensland State of Origin and Australia star, 2013 Dally M Medallist Cronk is also a premiership player with the Storm.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy said Cronk's achievement deserved to be recognised in a big way.

"It's obviously a big game, the preliminary final, but you can't go past Cooper's milestone," he said.

"We're not going out there just to play Cooper's 300th game but it's a milestone we want to give some time to as it's a remarkable achievement and it needs recognition.

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"Hopefully the boys will get something out of that and it will help them go a little bit harder for a little bit longer on Saturday night."

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