Munster played well in the trial victory over the Newcastle Knights

Craig Bellamy's big guns Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Brandon Smith and Nelson Asofa-Solomona all flexed their muscles for the start of the season as the Storm outclassed Newcastle 24-10 in Ballarat. Munster, in particular, was superb, showing his class at fullback. As a final trial run, things couldn't have gone much better for Bellamy's boys. They scored some nice tries, worked their combinations and kept Newcastle on the back foot for much of the contest. The only sour note for the Storm was an early shoulder injury to promising five-eighth Cooper Johns that will have him in doubt for round one. The Storm made seven line breaks to Newcastle's one and that will be a concern for Knights coach Adam O'Brien. Knights' main man Kayln Ponga was kept relatively quiet but talented five-eighth Jake Clifford showed some nice touches.