Enjoy yourselves: a simple mantra but one that worked well for the Storm in their dominant 40-14 victory over the Knights on Friday night at AAMI Park.
Storm captain Cameron Smith revealed the coaching staff wanted the side to get back to having fun on the footy field after two frustrating losses to the Sharks and Tigers.
"The energy tonight was very good," Smith said.
"I think the mindset of our players was totally different to the last two weeks. I knew we weren't playing to our standard and capabilities. And probably everyone felt a little frustrated and pressured to go out there and force the team or themselves to play well, and enjoy it.
"And that was a message from the coaching staff this week: go out there and enjoy playing football together. You're probably seeing a lot more expansive football played because of that tonight."
A seven-tries-to-three scoreline hints at a cohesive attacking performance. And Ryley Jacks, who came in for Brodie Croft, provided a confident display that included two try-assists.
Coach Craig Bellamy was proud of the 25-year-old's first outing as the Storm No.7 in 2018.
Match: Storm v Knights
Round 6 -
home Team
Storm
5th Position
away Team
Knights
10th Position
Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne
"He had a solid game - and with all due respect - if someone asked you to describe Ryley Jacks on the footy field, that's what you'd say," he said.
"You know what you're going to get from him each and every game. I thought he was a little bit more than solid - he played really well for us.
After a focus on correcting errors and discipline, the Storm mentor was delighted with the side's 100 percent completion rate in the opening 25 minutes.
"I was really happy with our attack tonight," Bellamy said. "We only scored one try in two weeks and scored seven tries tonight, and completed 80 percent. The last four weeks (was at) 60-something percent. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what works."
Forward duo Jesse Bromwich and Nelson Asofa-Solomona led the way early with some damaging runs and consistent punch through the middle.
"It's always good when the big men are going forward and making it hard for the defence to get their line set," Smith said.
"Those two boys got our team away to a great start tonight.
"It's a good reminder of their capabilities and what they can do for our footy team."
Storm press conference - Round 6
