Melbourne's Stefano Utoikamanu is expecting their round two rivals St George Illawarra to be fresh and firing as the Dragons look to make amends for their opening match disappointment.
The Storm will travel to Wollongong's WIN Stadium for the Saturday night NRL clash after putting 52 points on Parramatta in a one-sided victory.
St George Illawarra suffered a heart-breaking golden point loss to Canterbury in Las Vegas back on March 1, giving them plenty of time to prepare to tackle Melbourne.
The Dragons boast an enviable recent record against the competition heavyweights.
They are chasing a third-straight victory over the 2025 grand finalists, beating the Storm on their own turf in 2024 before grinding out a 14-8 at Kogarah Oval last season.
"We know they've had a bit more rest now and had time to look back at their game," Utoikamanu said on Wednesday.
"I think they would be pretty angry with the result in round one so I know they're going to come out firing."
Dragons hooker Damien Cook clocked a whopping 60 tackles against the Bulldogs while Melbourne rake Harry Grant was even more influential in his round one outing against the Eels, scoring two tries.
Hard-charging prop Utoikamanu, who was also among the Storm's best in the AAMI Park victory, praised the consistency of his captain.
"Harry is probably one of our most consistent players and he's killing it nearly every game," the 25-year-old said.
"I wasn't too surprised by how he played - he's always big for us and that's why he's our captain."
While their backline remains unchanged, the Storm will be without lock Alec MacDonald, who was knocked out early in the Eels match, with Fijian-born Tui Kamikamica named to start in the 13 jersey.
Ex-Knights forward Jack Hetherington has been named on the bench as he looks to make his Melbourne debut after sitting out round one through suspension.
Star second-rower Shawn Blore could also make his first appearance of the season, included on the extended bench as he looks to return from an ankle injury.
