Melbourne Storm receive major boost with skipper Cameron Smith expected to face Sharks

MELBOURNE Storm coach Craig Bellamy has declared Cameron Smith a certain starter for Sunday’s blockbuster against Cronulla Sharks.

Cameron Smith is expected to face Cronulla. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE Storm coach Craig Bellamy has declared Cameron Smith a certain starter for Sunday’s blockbuster against Cronulla Sharks.

Smith, 35, completed two full sessions this week after pulling up with a toe tendon issue during last week’s loss to South Sydney.

“I can’t see him missing out,” Bellamy said on Saturday.

The premiership captain sent a scare through the camp last week, with initial fears the reigning Dally M medallist had sustained Achilles damage.

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Cameron Smith is expected to face Cronulla. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

His presence allows Melbourne to use the last four matches of the home-and-away season to tune up for September action.

With two of the next four games against current top eight teams and tricky assignments against Gold Coast and Parramatta, Bellamy is keen for Melbourne to iron out kinks in attack and defence.

A poor kicking game last week also gifted Souths valuable territory off the back of the ferocious Burgess triumvirate.

“We need to get consistent at doing things that we’re going to have to do in a month’s time, if we’re going to last as long as we want to last in this competition,” Bellamy said.

Craig Bellamy said he expects Smith to be fit. (Photo by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images)

“We lost that game last weekend in the first 20 minutes of the second half, how we managed the game during that period was really poor.

“We can’t do that against good teams and the Sharks are a really good team so that’s an area we really want to improve tomorrow, even from the start of the game last week we didn’t do such a good job on the big boys... they made a hell of a lot of metres and (Damien) Cook came off the back of that.

“The Sharks have got big forwards as well so we’re going to have be a lot better with our contact tomorrow.”

Smith suffered the injury against the Rabbitohs last week. (AAP Image/Craig Golding)

Cronulla, one of five NRL teams to boast a breakeven or better record against Storm in the past two seasons, has won three of its past four against Melbourne, including the 2016 grand final

They prevailed 14-4 way back in Round 4, an ugly but spiteful affair at Shark Park, marred by 33 penalties, two sin-binnings and Will Chambers on report for a grapple tackle.

“Usually something happens in our games against Cronulla that stands out a little bit, sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s not so good,” Bellamy said.

“I’d imagine it’s going to be the same tomorrow.

“You know it’s going to be a pretty competitive game of footy and hopefully we can get back on track on managing the game a little bit better than last week.”

If successful, Storm will reclaim top spot on the ladder.