NRL: Cranky Bellamy has Storm ready to go

Storm coach Craig Bellamy talks to Billy Slater during a training session. Photo / Getty Images

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy is cranky, so all must be right again in Storm world.

With only pride on the line last year after the salary-cap saga denied the club the chance to compete for the title, the fearsome Bellamy showed a softer side as he dealt with the unfolding drama.

But the niceties were gone on Friday as Bellamy put his squad through their final session ahead of the season-opener against Manly at AAMI Park on Saturday night - the Storm's first NRL match for competition points in almost a year.

"He's a little bit cranky this morning the coach," Slater said.

"I think he's feeling the nerves a little bit and looking forward to round one.

"He went through everything we went through so I think he's really excited about round one and shows it in a cranky way."

Slater was all smiles as he looked ahead to his first game this year since undergoing shoulder surgery.

The Test custodian was supposedly in doubt for the opening month of the season as he regained strength in the joint, but showed enough to convince Bellamy he was good to go, albeit with the aid of plenty of strapping.

"It's in a better spot than what it was last year when I was playing ... shoulders take a long time to get 100 per cent strength back but I'm certainly right to play," he said, having played through the Kangaroos' Four Nations campaign with the injury.

"I'm comfortable in my fitness and where I'm at.

"I've played enough footy to realise where I need to be and what standard I need to be at to compete at this level."

Despite not playing a pre-season match, Slater should have it for match fitness over his opposite with Manly fullback Brett Stewart having missed the entire 2010 season after injuring his knee in the opening round.

That came after playing just a handful of games in 2009 due to surgery on his other knee.

Up until that point the pair had waged a ding-dong battle for the title of best fullback in the game, with Slater having gone on to cement that tag over the last two years in Stewart's absence.

While happy to see one of the NRL's most exciting players back on the paddock, Slater wasn't sure if the rivalry they enjoyed prior to the injury could be re-ignited.

"I'm not sure (if it will be the same)," Slater said.

"It's great to see Brett Stewart back playing footy, he's had a couple of tough years through injury and for the game it's really good to have him back and we had a healthy rivalry there before he got injured."

Slater has extra incentive to show up Stewart, with the record as his club's highest try-scorer tantalisingly close, with one more four-pointer to take him level with Matt Geyer's haul of 113 tries.

- AAP