Melbourne Storm legend Cameron Smith believes Craig Bellamy won't rest many players in the final regular season match against the Broncos on Thursday.
The minor premiers left several key players in Melbourne - including Jahrome Hughes, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Harry Grant - during their narrow loss to the Cowboys last Thursday, with Bellamy viewing the measures as necessary to ensure his team is fit and firing for the finals.
They face the already eliminated Broncos at Suncorp Stadium, leading many to believe Bellamy will once again give some of his star players a week off in order to have them fresh for the qualifying final in two weeks' time.
Smith, speaking on SEN's Breakfast with Vossy and Brandy, believes this won't be the case, and that the Storm will welcome back most of their key players.
"I'm pretty sure that Craig Bellamy's plan is to roll out his strongest possible lineup this week against the Broncos," the former Storm captain said, "Even though it's a match that doesn't matter in the context of their season - whether they win or lose this one, they still finish on top as minor premiers and get the home semi-final.
"But I really think he wants to roll out his strongest possible lineup, because they were missing a stack last week."
Despite his claim, Smith did name one player in particular who he would give a rest against the Broncos: "The one player I would be a little bit concerned about pushing him through this game is Ryan Papenhuyzen, given that he's got that little knock on his knee.
"You've just got to be so careful, because if he's a little bit tender, still a little bit sore - you've gotta remember he isn't the biggest player around.
"So if they [the Broncos] get a hold of him - and remember one of their big plays and where they love to put pressure on the fullback is [when Adam] Reynolds chucks up a high kick and he'll sit the fullback under the ball, and Jordan Riki just races through and pulverises the fullback.
"He's the one I'd be thinking about if I was Craig Bellamy, I'm thinking maybe Papenhuyzen might just sit out this week. Let [Sualavii] Faalogo get a run out there and have 80 minutes. But [Cameron] Munster, Grant, Hughes, I think they will be playing."
Papenhuyzen has had an injury ravaged couple of years for the Storm, fracturing his kneecap in 2022, before fracturing his ankle at the end of the 2023 season.
He then reinjured the ankle this season, causing him to miss six weeks of the season.
The Storm are one of the favourites to win their first premiership since 2020.
