It has been a tumultuous start to the 2026 season for the Melbourne Storm, who just suffered a fourth straight loss and have slumped to 13th on the ladder after six weeks of the competition.
It is also the first time in Craig Bellamy's time as head coach that the club sits outside the top eight after six rounds, an indication that the 2026 season may continue to be one of the poorest years for a Storm side.
Purely from a fan perspective, seeing the Storm lose 50-10 to the Panthers was a massive suggestion that there could be a change of guard in elite premiership heavyweights, with the Storm slipping down being a sign of the times.
If you've been around the sport for a while, you'll know that no team has gone on to win the premiership after conceding 50 points during their season.
It was most evident in their most recent encounter with the New Zealand Warriors, where the Auckland-based outfit essentially bullied the Storm in front of their home fans.
They were excellent in contact, used aggression everywhere they could, and bashed the side around the paddock.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck encapsulated this energy when he bumped Will Warbrick over the sideline to save a try.
The Warriors last weekend showed the blueprint to every other NRL side on how to beat the Storm.
The forward pack was dominated and couldn't build any strong momentum, constantly on the back-foot from the likes of James Fisher-Harris, Demitric Vaimauga and Jackson Ford's constant pressure.
The Storm's two wins this year have come against the Parramatta Eels and St George Illawarra Dragons, who are parked at 16th and 17th on the NRL ladder.
It is unfortunately also the most points conceded against Bellamy in two consecutive games, so I would love to see some alterations to the forward pack to get them back to the elite standards we have grown to admire.
Speculation online has mounted that it may be time for the Storm to look for a different head coach, however, it's not the case.
With the losses of stars like Ryan Papenhuyzen and Eliesa Katoa's absence from this year, along with Tui Kamikamica's on-going health battle, the club is going through a slight rebuild and has lost significant talent in the short-term.
It isn't a reflection of the coach, but just needing to be able to quickly adapt to the sizeable holes these stars have left, which is a result of these recent losses.
With the forward pack suddenly a weakness in the once indestructible Melbourne juggernaut, the club should look to find an enforcer to join their side before June 30.
Although they are limited to who is available on short notice, Braden Uele would come cheap as he is off-contract at year's end and isn't getting much game time for the Sharks this year.
He could fill the hole left by Katoa and Kamikamica as a short-term fix to help restore strength in the engine room.
Shawn Blore and Ativalu Lisati are edging closer to a return from injury, which will no doubt stiffen up their middle, with Blore expected to be available for selection this weekend.
The next three games for the Storm are crucial if they want to stay in touch with the top eight, which includes the Raiders, Rabbitohs, and Wests Tigers.
With quality players returning on deck, I'm expecting them to bounce back with a big performance this weekend against the Raiders and go on a brief run of quality form to set them up for the Origin period that is quickly approaching.
