The Melbourne Storm's poor start to their season is set to come with consequences for two stars within the side.
In unfamiliar waters for Craig Bellamy, he is expected to make some hard decisions on players who haven't lived up to the standards established by the Storm coaching staff if they continue to lose poorly.
Trent Loiero and Jack Howarth are under the pump to lift their games as the Courier Mail is revealing they are currently fighting for their positions in the Storm outfit.
In four games to his name this year, Loiero hasn't hit the heights that earned him a Queensland representative jumper last year.
Only being limited to an average of 72 metres per game, oppositions are looking at the Storm's forward pack as a point of weakness, which we saw the Warriors dominate during their most recent encounter last Saturday.
Howarth has also come under the microscope to start 2026, with the Queensland under-19s star having to lift his game.
With Moses Leo as a depth option breathing down his neck, expect a much-improved performance against the Canberra Raiders, with recent efforts seeing him miss eleven tackles to start the year.
Howarth's hip injury, which saw him miss Round 5, may be affecting his ability to move laterally, contributing to the Storm not being able to keep up with the Warriors in their recent outing.
Although it isn't just the pair who have come under fire, with the Storm looking down the barrel of their biggest losing streak since 2012, a five-game stretch.
Despite ultimately winning the title that year, they've already had the dreaded 50 points scored against them this year, with history to show that a side has never gone on to win the premiership after conceding the half-century.
The Storm travel to the nation's capital on Friday night to right their wrongs and get their season back on track.
