Round 9 of the NRL sees two desperate teams face off at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night, with neither the Storm nor Dolphins tasting victory since March.<\/p>\n
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy said after last week\u2019s loss to the Rabbitohs that he was the \u201cmost embarrassed\u201d he\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n
That sums up where the Storm are at right now. They\u2019ve lost six straight, leaking an average of 40.5 points over the last four rounds.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins have been better without much reward, sitting 2-5. They\u2019ve gone down by two to the Warriors and by one to the Panthers in their last two.<\/p>\n
Bellamy has made changes, dropping Joe Chan, Cooper Clarke and Trent Loiero, and bringing in fresh faces.<\/p>\n
Add in the absence of Jahrome Hughes and the six-game losing streak, and it\u2019s clear why Melbourne are underdogs.<\/p>\n
But great teams respond. It\u2019s not if the Storm bounce back, it\u2019s when. Expect a sharper performance and a much-needed win.<\/p>\n
Melbourne have averaged 31 points across their four meetings with the Dolphins and should find points again here.<\/p>\n
Fresh legs in the pack will help, while the spine of Cameron Munster and Ryan Papenhuyzen still provides plenty of strike.<\/p>\n
After recent struggles, attack will be a major focus this week.<\/p>\n
Melbourne\u2019s reshuffled pack could open up opportunities through the middle for the Dolphins.<\/p>\n
Lemuelu was strong last week and works well on the edge with Kulikefu Finefeuiaki.<\/p>\n
The Dolphins often use their edge forwards as second-phase options, which should give Lemuelu chances to cross.<\/p>\n