Time and again Melbourne have shown they are no one-man team. Yet forward Felise Kaufusi admitted he was unsure how the Storm would cope in 2021 following the retirement of arguably rugby league's greatest player, Cameron Smith. "To be honest I didn't know if we were going to be as good without Cameron," said Kaufusi, who played alongside Smith for six years. "I guess it was like being cast into the ocean and seeing if you sink or float." But instead of struggling without 430-game veteran Smith, who retired after last year's grand final victory, Melbourne have only got better. The Storm this season recorded the greatest for and against in history, scoring 40 points or more in a game 12 times to claim the minor premiership. "I wasn't sure how we would go without Cameron; we had a lot of people on our back so I am very proud of what we have achieved so far," Bromwich said. "But this side has continued to flourish and Craig has a lot to do with that - he's been the nucleus of it over the last two decades "Craig speaks about the next man up mentality. There is an expectation to not do what the player did before them but play to their own strengths. "To have achieved what we have this year is exciting but it is at the back of our mind now - our focus is the preliminary final."
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