Nick Meaney will lean on the advice of All Blacks star Jordie Barrett as he steps up to the kicking tee in Melbourne's preliminary final against Penrith.
Ryan Papenhuyzen's luckless run of injuries have thrust fullback and goal-kicking duties onto Meaney for the majority of his two seasons at the Storm.
No one has kicked more goals this year than the Melbourne man's 91 but his accuracy rate of 79 per cent is only just above average (77.4) for players who have attempted 20 or more shots.
His percentage has been skewed by a handful of uncharacteristically wayward games, the most recent of which came in last week's semi-final defeat of the Sydney Roosters.
Meaney made only one of three attempts at conversion in that match, but two successful penalty goals helped him ensure the Storm would hold the Roosters at bay for an 18-13 win to progress to Friday's grand final qualifier.
The 26-year-old missed both attempts at goal on his finals debut against Canberra in 2022 and did not kick during Storm's 26-0 loss to Brisbane in this year's qualifying final.
Meaney said making shots in finals came with extra challenges.
"Everything goes up a notch, the intensity and the fatigue factor sets in quite fast as well," he told AAP.
"In normal-round games you're probably feeling a bit fresher and your game's not as high-intense. But now it is.
"I've got to train that as well and have that in the back of my mind, knowing that I've got to try and reset as quickly as I can and calm the heart-rate down before I goal kick. At times it's tough."
But conversations with 34-time All Black Jordie Barrett have convinced Meaney to back his own style.
Barrett spent a week training with the Storm and AFL side Richmond earlier this year, hoping to soak up some of the secrets behind the two sides' recent success.
The Hurricanes utility shared some wisdom as well.
"I did a bit of goal-kicking with him and learned a few things," Meaney said.
"He sort of told me everyone kicks differently, everyone has their own technique, you've just got to find what works for you.
"I tinker with things every now and then, try and change it when I feel it's not working right."
The Panthers are adept at triumphing in low-scoring, gritty encounters, so every goal is likely to count for the Storm at Accor Stadium.
"Penrith have been the benchmark of the competition for a while now," Meaney said.
"They know their game and they try to control the game on both sides of the ball.
"Whatever we can do to disrupt that or put ourselves in better positions, we'll try and do."
