KEY POINTS:
Two rookies will be the focus of attention in tonight's Warriors-Storm NRL game in Melbourne.
Warriors fullback Aidan Kirk is sure to be target of the pinpoint kicks at which Storm halfback Cooper Cronk is an expert, both the high ball and the dangerous in-goal grubber as well as crossfield kicks to wings.
And Storm stand-in five-eighth Russell Aitken will attract plenty of runners coming off the Warriors rucks and scrums.
Kirk and Aitken have had similarly stalled careers in the NRL. Kirk turned 22 yesterday but this is his debut game after he spent time behind Anthony Minichiello and Sam Perrett at the Roosters. He then suffered a knee tear that required reconstruction surgery, keeping him out of half the 2007 season.
Aitken, 10 months older than Kirk, made his debut for the Sharks in 2003 and was then with North Queensland before returning to Cronulla but he too remained behind more favoured players and has just eight NRL games behind him. He too suffered injury and a long rehab last season.
Just as Warriors coach Ivan Cleary and captain Steve Price have expressed faith in Kirk, so Melbourne are backing their new man to hold up in the intensity.
"There's no need to ease him in, he's been playing since 2003," said Storm coach Craig Bellamy. "It's not like he's not ready. If he wasn't ready he would not be in the team," Bellamy said.
Though many consider this a tough opening for the Warriors, there is much thought the other way - that it's the best time to get the defending premiers. They had a longer off-season, they were in England two weeks ago playing the World Club Challenge, and lost 11-4 to Brian McClennan's Leeds.
The last three NRL title-winning sides to have made that trip subsequently struggled.
The Broncos in 2007 (2006 premiers), the Tigers in 2006 and the Bulldogs in 2005 all won just one of their first five games after playing the WCC match. Of those, only the Broncos made the top-eight.
The Warriors have another reason to back themselves. They were the last team to win in Melbourne in August 2006, they have won there before that too, and they have a 4-6 all-up record against the Storm.
The Storm had their first intensive training post-England last Monday. It's a given their combinations will not be as sharp as they were on grandfinal day last October, especially given Aitken's presence for the superstar Inglis.
Gone from their grandfinal winning side are Matt King (Warrington), Ben Cross (Sharks) and Clint Newton (Hull).
So this presents an early opportunity for the visitors.
A crowd of around 18,000 is predicted at the Telstra Dome. Temperatures have been soaring in Melbourne, to 40C, though the Warriors, who travelled yesterday, should have some resilience due to the hot weather in Auckland and their pre-season match on the Sunshine Coast.
The Auckland Vulcans (formerly Lions) lost 22-20 to the Storm's feeder club Central Coast in their opening game in the New South Wales Rugby League competition played at Henham Park, Otahuhu.
Warriors wing Michael Crockett opened the scoring, Storm signing Ryan Shortland also had a try and made one for wing Malo Solomona.
The Vulcans led 14-10 at the break but after refusing two easy penalties in front of the posts in the second half they were run down by two late tries to the Coast side, which featured Storm regulars Antonio Kaufusi and Ben MacDougall.
