Melbourne are dialling into their AFL links to help exploit the height advantage of wing recruit Xavier Coates, whom they see as a major weapon this NRL season.
There's plenty of buzz around Coates, who has played three seasons with Brisbane and five State of Origin matches despite being only 20.
Standing 194cms and weighing 100 kilograms, Coates is a formidable figure on the flanks.
And the Storm are hoping to build on his array of talents by improving his skills under the high ball, calling on former Collingwood skipper Nick Maxwell.
While not a renowned high flyer himself, Maxwell has been helping Coates with the positioning of his body and hands.
"We've done a fair bit of work with him over the pre-season," said Coates, ahead of their season-opener against Wests Tigers on Saturday night.
"We lean on the AFL a fair bit to get that aspect in.
"The thing I've learnt is that it's a bit more technical - your approach to coming into it, how you use your hands coming into contact.
"There's a lot of different drills that I didn't think would help with it but it actually does so I'm learning a lot and loving it."
While Coates has replaced Josh Addo-Carr, who shifted to the Bulldogs, he's aware of the quality of wingers the Storm have produced.
"There's a lot of them that I have admired - you've got Marika Koroibete, Suliasi Vunivalu, Josh Addo-Carr, Marcus Bai - all those star wingers.
"You have to admire and respect what they've done ... but I want to bring my own attributes to the team and see where that can take me."
Coates said he couldn't wait to get into action after a long and brutal Storm pre-season and felt ready for whatever the Tigers might bring at CommBank Stadium on Saturday night.
He said the Storm had kept a close eye on Tigers playmaker Jackson Hastings, who has impressed in the trials after a stint in the Super League.
"I think it's going to be tough challenge as they have a couple of good new players," Coates said.
"Jackson Hastings is looking really good and you can see what he brings in the trial matches."
Melbourne, who were already without suspended stars Cameron Munster and Harry Grant, were dealt a blow with skipper and Test prop Jesse Bromwich ruled out after a family member tested positive to COVID-19.
