Melbourne will explore the possibility of using replacement fullback Nick Meaney as a bench utility after Ryan Papenhuyzen makes his long-awaited return from a knee injury.
Papenhuyzen has not played since round 18 last year when he shattered his patella attempting a tackle on Canberra five-eighth Jack Wighton.
After three weeks lining up for the Storm's Queensland Cup affiliate the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Papenhuyzen is closing in on an NRL comeback.
Fighting to secure a top-four spot, the Storm are yet to decide whether his return will come on the run to this year's finals series but in any case, it will leave the Storm with a selection dilemma.
Since arriving at the club last season, 25-year-old Meaney has filled the "Mr Fix-It" role vacated by Nicho Hynes, lining up on the wing and at five-eighth as well as fullback across 44 Storm games.
But with no other injuries in the backline, there is no clear place for the in-form Meaney in the starting line-up once Papenhuyzen returns.
Coach Craig Bellamy has discussed the situation with Meaney, and is considering using him off the bench as he did with Hynes on the run to the 2020 grand final.
Another possibility could be for Papenhuyzen to make his return via the bench but no firm decision has been made.
"Craig sort of spoke to me about when he comes back, whether there's that role coming off the bench, or keep my spot at fullback," Meaney told AAP.
"He's spoken to me about just playing my best footy, try and learn each week, get better each week.
"I knew that coming down here that Paps was here (as first-choice fullback).
"I'm there to do my best job for the team, no matter where that is."
Sessions with Billy Slater, the Storm's greatest-ever fullback, have helped Meaney keep his form up in a second season at the Storm.
"He just sort of talks about the little things that you probably don't think about: body position in defence and most importantly, just mentality things," Meaney said.
"Just fight for everything."
A big NBA fan, it's not just Slater who is inspiring Meaney as the Storm push to finish an inconsistent season inside the top four.
The late LA Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant is high on Meaney's list of sporting role models.
"I try to have what I like to call the 'Mamba Mentality' that Kobe Bryant used to have," Meaney said.
"He was ruthless, he never stopped.
"He took things personally as well, I feel like that's what our team needs.
"We need to take things personally sometimes and get that old Melbourne grit back. Craig likes to call it 'mongrel dogs'. That's what we need to get back to doing each week."
