Former Melbourne Storm halfback Cooper Cronk is tipping Craig Bellamy to "sprinkle that magic dust" on his side this season after an exodus of experience from the club.
The Storm have lost a wealth of NRL games from their line-up in recent times after losing Felise Kaufusi, Brandon Smith, Jesse Bromwich and brother Kenneath Bromwich last year, as well as Dale Finucane the year prior, and Cameron Smith before that.
It's a whopping 1,439 first-grade games between the six stars, and while Bellamy has a mixture of developed and recruited talent at his disposal, you can't buy experience.
Tariq Sims, Joe Chan and Eliesa Katoa have been recruited to fill the back-row voids, while Aaron Pene has been brought back to the Storm after a one-year stint with the New Zealand Warriors.
Losing three members of their starting back to the Dolphins seems a massive cross to bare for Melbourne in 2023, however Cronk is backing 'Bellyache' to stay on top of his game.
"There's a lot of changeovers in terms of the starting forward pack but you've got to remember that the Bromwich boys and Kaufusi and Brandon Smith weren't household names when they first started," Cronk told AAP.
"So he'll apply the same ingredients and recipes that he did with other players and Trent Loiero, Josh King, Harry Grant's already a star.
"(With the arrival of) Tariq Sims, Eliesa Katoa, he'll sprinkle that Melbourne Storm magic dust of hard work and intensity and they'll fill a role.
"They'll be role players and be great."
Blessed with arguably the greatest spine in the NRL at full-strength in Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant, enough to keep them near rugby league's pinnacle.
Papenhuyzen will be sidelined until midway through the 2023 season after shattering his kneecap into 10 pieces last year, with Nick Meaney tipped to fill the void until then.
Suspected to be his final season at the helm, Bellamy has been faced with plenty of challenges throughout his two decades at the club, the salary cap drama of 2010 costing the club Jeff Lima, Greg Inglis, Brett Finch and Ryan Hoffman, only to win again two years later.
However, Cronk doesn't believe Bellamy looks at in the same sense.
"He doesn't buy into the 'challenge' sort of aspect," Cronk said.
"His greatest strength is that he coaches now and he coaches tomorrow.
"What happens two weeks from now is really irrelevant and he stays in the moment."
Melbourne will travel to CommBank Stadium on Thursday to face Parramatta in the season opener, with Bellamy's spotless Round 1 record over 20 years adding pressure to the clash.
