With Jahrome Hughes set to make a timely return, fuming Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy has put his players on notice ahead of the NRL finals after their flop against the Sydney Roosters.
The Storm turned in the worst second-half in the club's history, giving up a 10-0 half-time lead to crash to a 40-10 defeat in their Friday night match at AAMI Park which Bellamy described as "embarrassing".
Marking their coach's 600-game milestone, the Melbourne players only managed five completed sets in the second half and missed 25 tackles with the Roosters running in seven tries, including four from winger Mark Nawaqanitawase.
The loss rules the Storm out of the running for the minor premiership, with Canberra set to receive the JJ Giltinan trophy at their home game against the Wests Tigers on Saturday.
"It was like a different team in the second half and I really can't say how disappointed I am in that performance, especially coming at this time of the year," Bellamy said.
"That's embarrassing - that's about the nicest word I could use."
Stars Xavier Coates, Nick Meaney, Eli Katoa and Josh King were rested but will return for their final round match, with Melbourne set to be near full strength against the Broncos in Brisbane on Thursday night.
Skipper Harry Grant will again miss the match through suspension.
But Nelson Asofa-Solomona is free to face Brisbane, having been offered a $3000 fine for what the match review committee determined to be a grade-one careless high tackle on Nawaqanitawase.
Dally M medallist Hughes hasn't played since dislocating his shoulder in round 21 but Bellamy said the halfback was likely to face the Broncos.
He said the 30-year-old would still need to pass some testing but the club wanted him to have a run before the first week of finals.
"He's been out a while and it's going to be hard for him coming back but we prefer that a week before the finals than coming back in the finals game," Bellamy said of Hughes.
"He's really keen to get back next week ... he thinks he's feeling okay with his shoulder, so hopefully the week will turn out OK."
Bellamy was concerned that a poor second half was becoming a pattern, with the side similarly fading against Canterbury last round.
He said he would take input from the team leaders but wanted to see a response from players, with finals looming.
"We'll get together and come up with a few things then we'll work on that and see what happens.
"At the end of the day, it's about getting close to the other competition at the end of the season and if some of the players can't get excited for that, we don't want them in the team.
"When the finals start, you want everyone on board and doing what the team needs you to do and go from there.
"If they don't want to be on board, they can come and sit with me."
The only positive of the match was the return of winger Will Warbrick, with the Olympic sevens silver medallist having been sidelined since round four due to debilitating concussion symptoms.
"It's been a tough journey for him, a real tough journey," Bellamy said of the 27-year-old Kiwi.
"It was really good to see him go out and play and play well - there wasn't too much he did wrong out there.
"There wasn't many bright things happening for us today or good things to come out of that game but if was one thing, it was his form after how long he's been out."
