NRL: Johnson says Storm must 'fight fire with fire' in Broncos face-off

Melbourne lock Dallas Johnson says the Storm need to "fight fire with fire" in an expected brutal opening to tonight's preliminary final against Brisbane.

Melbourne are bracing for an early Broncos onslaught, with the visitors expected to repeat the same game plan they used to smash St George Illawarra in the semifinal.

"It worked for them last week so we expect them to have the same sort of mindset," said coach Craig Bellamy.

No stranger to the rough stuff, hard-as-nails Queensland State of Origin lock Johnson said his side wouldn't shy away from the Broncos.

"They [Brisbane] were very physical, they had heaps of enthusiasm," he said of the Dragons match.

"They blew them off the park in the first 20 minutes, they were on the ball so it's a big challenge this week."

He said that after earning a week off it was important for his side to get into the game from the kick-off and get the early ascendancy.

"They're pretty hard to peg back once they get on top so obviously the start is critical," Johnson said.

"Both teams want to start well and they're a very physical team, as we saw the other night, so we're going to have to fight fire with fire.

"If we're not as physical as them then we're going to have problems."

Brisbane coach Ivan Henjak agreed the forward battle would be where the game was won or lost.

"It's normally where big games are won, in the forwards. Whoever gets the ascendancy in that area is going to be able to play their natural game.

"It is an important part of the game so it doesn't surprise me that they're talking about having to match that area."

Both sides completed their final training sessions at Etihad Stadium yesterday, happy to be out of the rain which is also predicted to fall during the game tonight.

With the sessions both behind closed doors, the Storm and media were kept guessing about the roles played by utility Alex Glenn, who was named to replace injured halfback Peter Wallace, and skipper and regular five-eighth Darren Lockyer. "I think he'll [Lockyer] probably play mostly first receiver but that's their decision," Bellamy said.

"They've had a couple of closed sessions so no one really knows except them. We're prepared for both ways and we'll just see what happens.

"We're more concerned with what we need to do and hopefully we can get it right tomorrow night."

- AAP