They may be winless but the Warriors will be anything but push overs when Melbourne Storm comes to town on Sunday.
Craig Bellamy’s men will be out to win their first game across the ditch since 2012 as they look to continue their unbeaten start to the year.
New Zealand have shown plenty of promise in their opening two games and will have extra motivation to get off the mark as they prepare for their first home game of the season.
The critics have been quick to question the credentials of Andrew McFadden’s side but his opposing coach thinks the doubts are certainly being cast prematurely.
“I think it has been a little bit unfair the criticism…they were very competitive until they got a couple of injuries against the Broncos,” Bellamy said.
“They’ve been on the road for a couple of weeks so they will be really looking forward to playing at home.
“You always get a tough game over there, doesn’t matter what and that will be the case this week for us.”
The Warriors boosted their playing stocks significantly in the off-season with the additions of fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and hooker Isaac Luke.
Both players join a Warriors attack that already boasts exciting playmaker Shaun Johnson.
Storm is acutely aware of the improvements that the newly added duo will make to New Zealand.
“They are obviously really good players in their positions and when you match them up with Shaun Johnson, you’ve got a pretty dangerous spine there,” Bellamy said.
“They are highly experienced, very talented so they can only improve the team.”
