The Storm's 16-13 win against the Roosters had all the intensity of a finals match with a number of penalties for ill-discipline, high completion rates and some spectacular plays.
It also propelled the Storm to a three-game buffer over their closest rivals on the NRL ladder, the Brisbane Broncos.
Storm lock Dale Finucane relished playing in such a quality contest and felt it had the feel of a play-off game.
"It was a really physical game, more so than usual I'd expect," Finucane said.
"That's probably the calibre of the game coming into this time of year.
"It definitely had the intensity of it (a final)."
The Storm's 16-13 win on Saturday afternoon was their fourth game they've won by four points or less this season. Finucane said the team could take confidence from their performance in a tight contest.
"To know you have the ability to do it – as we did on the weekend – if that was to come again in a game in future, then I guess that would give our team confidence to know we have done it before," he said.
Finucane, who made 35 tackles against the Roosters, is enjoying the extra workload going into the back end of the year. He is one of three Storm players to have made appeared in all 21 of the team's matches this season (Felise Kaufusi and Josh Addo-Carr are the others).
"Personally I feel quite good," he said.
"I enjoy the workload – I think it's my role within the side."
Meanwhile Storm winger Suliasi Vunivalu has been fined $1,100 over a grade one contrary conduct charge after his leaping hit-up through two Roosters defenders. It looked like something straight out of world champion hurdler Sally Pearson's playbook, rather than anything on a rugby league field.
Finucane said he's didn't see it live but wasn't about to give Vunivalu any lessons on how to do a hit-up properly.
"It was a little bit different wasn't it?" he said.
"It's not something you see every day, especially on a rugby league paddock. It is what it is."
