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Important update on 1476AMStumbling Storm vow to fight back into form
Melissa Woods, AAP •  April 29th, 2026 8:22 am
Storm head coach Craig Bellamy is ready to make changes if his defence do not tighten up | Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP
Josh King admits Melbourne players felt as "embarrassed" as their coach Craig Bellamy over their last NRL performance and are vowing to get back to playing the Storm way.
Melbourne suffered their sixth straight loss in a 48-6 thrashing to South Sydney on Anzac Day, with Bellamy saying post-match it was the most embarrassed he'd been during his football career.
The Storm travel to Brisbane to face the Dolphins on Friday night and would match a 24-year-old club record if they record a seventh successive defeat.
Prop Josh King said the team, grand finalists just last year, shared Bellamy's frustration and disappointment.
"He (Bellamy) has every right to feel that way," King said. "I certainly am embarrassed, and especially with the reputation the Storm has and what they've done over the years to be in this sort of position, it's not nice, but it's all on us."
Josh King | Photo: AAP
King felt the Storm still had the foundations for success in 2026 and were "doubling down" on the belief they had the game plan and talent to turn their ailing NRL season around.
"I think doubling down on our foundations, what the Storm's built on, and that's hard work and effort ... I don't think we need to go searching for the answers," the 30-year-old said.
"You lose a few games in a row and you lose a bit of belief as well and I think that's probably where we're at.
"But the team hasn't changed that much since we were making grand finals so getting that belief and energy back is probably a big one for me."
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While many of their 14 handling errors against the Rabbitohs were made by the backs, Melbourne's forward pack has been criticised for their lack of impact, with the loss of big guns including Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Tui Kamikamica and Eli Katoa keenly felt.
King didn't feel it was fair to single out any individuals.
"I think it's pretty harsh to put the results on any one individual or one area of the field," he said.
"As a team, across the park we've been lacking in a few areas, and I think the way the game works, it sort of flows into one another. It's a bit of a snowball effect.
"As a team, across the park we've been lacking in a few areas, and I think the way the game works, it sort of flows into one another. It's a bit of a snowball effect.
"If we're defending the whole time, it makes it hard for us middles to be able to carry the ball out strong because basically you're fatigued the entire time.
"So we can certainly fix up a few areas and stop turning the ball over, and if you hold the ball a little bit longer, you've got more energy to do those things."
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