"They'll be pretty angry with the result": Utoikamanu expects Dragons to come out firing
After an impressive victory against the Parramatta Eels in Round 1, the Melbourne Storm is heading into Round 2 brimming with confidence.
Conversely, their rivals, the St George Illawarra Dragons, suffered a narrow defeat to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in golden point and are eager to bounce back for their first win this season.
In a recent media engagement, Storm forward Stefano Utoikamanu noted that the Dragons' loss could enhance their determination as opponents in the upcoming match.
"They'll be pretty angry with the result in Round 1," Utoikamanu acknowledged.
"I know they're gonna come out firing and we're gonna prepare the same way we do all the time."
He continued, "(We will) have a look at what we need to look at as a ruck and as edges and go into the game with the game plan."
Joe Chan, another forward for the Storm, supported Utoikamanu's sentiments when discussing the anticipated challenge from the Dragons this weekend.
"(A) tough performance," he stated simply.
"There's no team in the comp that we think less of, so we just hope to stick to the game plan like we've done before and hopefully we get the results we need."