Storm to weather euphoria of Origin

MELBOURNE are mindful of the emotional toll a historic Origin series could have on their victorious Maroons stars.

The seven Storm Maroons – Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Billy Slater, Will Chambers, Tim Glasby, Cameron Munster and 18th man Felise Kaufusi – return to the club tomorrow before Saturday’s assignment in Canberra.

After an important win last week, the 10th-placed Raiders cannot afford to drop any games in the run home.

Storm football director Frank Ponissi yesterday conceded the Storm could be vulnerable as players settled into club routines after Origin.

The six players from the Origin decider have returned with a clean bill of health, including Slater, who was carrying an ankle complaint.

“It’s always a challenge for players of all levels (coming off Origin) ... that first or second game back is always going to be the toughest game,” he said.

“We’re expecting a tough game, a real tough game. (The Raiders) weren’t pre-competition favourites for no reason.”

A strong start to the year enabled Storm to manage the load on Origin players, which Ponissi hopes will be of benefit during the next seven rounds.

Smith, Cronk and Slater all missed games during the tricky Origin block.

“We didn’t set out at the beginning (to rest players) ... we don’t look that far ahead,” Ponissi said.

“Had the team not been winning at that stage, we probably – I would say for certain – we would have made different decisions. The fact we were on a bit of a winning roll made the decision a lot easier.”

Storm finished Origin with a 4-2 record, despite facing various selection dilemmas.

“Relatively speaking, the Origin period was satisfactory to good,” Ponissi said.

“We just never gave ourselves a chance against Parramatta (in Round 18) the first 20 minutes. That’s something we’re going to concentrate on the next seven weeks.”