Such is Storm centre Will Chambers' dedication and toughness that he was still able to make a contribution to the win over Brisbane despite struggling for fitness after an interrupted build-up.
Chambers suffered a setback during the pre-season when he hurt his ankle while representing the Indigenous All Stars and missed both the Storm's trial matches.
The Origin centre did manage to feature during the Storm's 22-12 victory over the Broncos last Thursday, but admitted he was below his best due to the limited preparation.
"It will probably be a couple of weeks (for me to find form) as I didn't do too much against the Broncos and was blowing a heap," Chambers said at AAMI Park on Tuesday.
"Hopefully the fitter I can get the more involved I can get."
Increasing his fitness levels is the immediate focus for Chambers but he also knows he must improve his disciplinary record after he missed six games through suspension in 2018.
Chambers revealed he had a good chat with coach Craig Bellamy during the pre-season about how to become a more consistent player and that his hiccup in the weeks leading into the Broncos clash was particularly frustrating.
"I couldn’t really run properly and it felt like I had glass in my shoe," Chambers said of his ankle injury.
"It was frustrating...I would have liked to have got a game under my belt.
"It wasn’t bad, but it was, if that makes sense.
"Once I got going again it was OK and the last 10 days leading into round one I knew I would be OK."
Match Highlights: Storm v Broncos
One player to impress for the Storm was fullback Jahrome Hughes, who scored the opening try of the match and looked at home in the last line of defence after the off-season loss of Billy Slater.
Hughes' impressive performance came as no surprise to his team-mates.
"We didn’t forget about him that is for sure as the people inside our club know how good Jahrome is," Chambers said.
"We have seen him do it before and I suppose because he didn’t play any trial everyone had forgot about him.
"We knew he was going to be in our best 17 somewhere. Whether that was at fullback or on the bench."
The Storm's focus now turns to the nation's capital on Friday night, where they take on a Raiders side who shut out the Titans 21-0 in round one.
Chambers knows the Storm will have to be on top of their game if they're to make it two wins to start the season.
"All teams are very strong defensively now and we see that the best defensive teams go close to winning the comp," he said.
"On the weekend they were pretty rock solid in attack down there on the tryline, so we have to make sure we keep all our shapes, run well and focus on our timing and intent and make sure when we get an opportunity we take it."
