Craig Bellamy has hit back at the Sharks' mind games on the eve of their preliminary final, saying their "holier than thou" attitude was laughable.
The Storm coach thought it was ironic that Cronulla forward Matt Prior accused Melbourne of dirty tactics in the tackle.
"The Sharks are telling us we're the grubs, that they're holier than thou, the 'squeaky clean Sharks'. Please, give me a break. We all know better than that," Bellamy said.
"As they've kept telling us all week, they're a very tough and very experienced team. They are – they've got a lot of rep players, finals footy.
"But we've got lots of guys that have played big games as well."
It sets the stage for another spicy clash between the 2016 grand finalists.
Bellamy, coaching his 15th finals series, knows not to get dragged down by the trash talk from rival NRL clubs.
Storm v Sharks - Preliminary Final
The Storm are able to select a full-strength squad for the first time seemingly all season, with Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Will Chambers set to return.
And Bellamy says Chambers, who has been suspended twice this year for infringements, needed to pick his moments when to start niggling.
"Hopefully he's learned this year from a couple of games, where he's been suspended," the Storm coach said.
"We don't need that from him. Just going out there and getting his job done, being aware to do certain things and when's the wrong time."
There's also intrigue around how young half Brodie Croft will handle what his coach calls the "biggest game he's ever played in".
Match: Storm v Sharks
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Storm
2nd Position
away Team
Sharks
4th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
The 21-year-old will line up opposite the experienced halves pairing of Matt Moylan and Chad Townsend.
"Moylan's a real class player," Bellamy said.
"Chad Townsend's also been an underrated player. Since Wade Graham's been hurt, he's stepped up a little bit further and calling the ball a lot."
There's still uncertainty whether Joe Stimson or Ryan Hoffman will line up against the Sharks on Friday night.
Bellamy said it was a tough call – whether to reward the promising youngster or play the retiring veteran.
"It's not easy at all. I know, coming to the end of his career, how much it means to him," the coach said of Hoffman.
"But I have to make sure I do my job as well."
The Storm go into Friday night's clash have won only one of their last five against Cronulla, including two losses this season.
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