Storm will enjoy what they have achieved this season but they know full well that they now have bigger fish to fry.
Reigning premiers North Queensland now await Craig Bellamy’s side.
Melbourne will host the Cowboys at AAMI Park in a Qualifying final next week, with the day and time to be confirmed by the NRL tomorrow night.
Storm won both encounters between the two sides during the year but nobody knows better than the skipper how different finals football can be.
“There are a lot of things that we need to reset now and have a look at what we want to come up with against the Cowboys,” Cameron Smith said.
“They are a very different side to Cronulla and they are going to be a very different side than we’ve faced twice this year.
“This is finals and these guys are the reigning premiers so they know how to play these big games.”
Next week’s match up will be a rematch of last year’s preliminary final, which the Cowboys won 32-12.
That result is now consigned to history though as Storm look to maintain the AAMI Park fortress they have built in 2016.
“In recent years (the Cowboys) have had a pretty good record down in Melbourne, they’ve won a few matches,” Smith said.
“I think when you’ve won a competition you don’t fear any team or any venue but at the end of the day this is our home ground.
“We are going to go out and play as best we can. We’ve got a pretty good record down here, we’ve only lost the two matches and our goal will be to keep that intact.”
