Former NRL players Ryan Hoffman and Chad Townsend have shared their thoughts on the dismal start to the Melbourne Storm's season.
The team currently finds itself in 16th place on the ladder, managing just two wins alongside six defeats after the first quarter of the season.
Most recently, they suffered a heavy 48-6 defeat at home over the Anzac Day weekend.
Hoffman reflected on his past experience when the Storm faced a similar low point due to a salary cap scandal in 2010, noting he has never seen the current squad appear as disoriented.
"The elephant in the room is the Melbourne Storm, sitting 16th. I was a part of the Melbourne Storm when we sat sixteenth, but that's because we couldn't play for points," Hoffman pointed out.
"But I've never seen a Melbourne Storm team this low. Craig Bellamy has never had a Storm team this low."
Having played 259 games for the Storm, making him the fifth most capped player for the club, Hoffman acknowledged that despite a strong start in their recent match, a key moment derailed their performance.
"I've never seen a Melbourne Storm team lack so much confidence, and the telling point for me was that I thought they started the game on the weekend against South Sydney really strongly," he noted.
"They broke down Souths, first attacking opportunity, they spread the ball wide, Nick Meaney drops the ball, which would have been an open try, which happens in rugby league and Nick Meaney's one of the most reliable players in rugby league."