Storm's heart gone, says Mortimer

The Melbourne Storm's heart has stopped pumping and that could spell embarrassment
for the rest of the NRL season, says the man who picked up the pieces after the
Bulldogs' salary cap scandal, Steve Mortimer.
The Storm's crushing 36-14 loss to Brisbane at what was meant to be a celebration of
the opening of their new Stadium, AAMI Park, on Sunday caused coach Craig Bellamy to
declare his side's points-less season wasn't all over.
But with the Storm looking down the barrel of a tough six-week State of Origin
period from next week, when as many as six players and Blues coach Bellamy will be
preoccupied, Mortimer warned the club's ability to play for pride only will be
massively tested.
"The players need an incentive," Mortimer told AAP on Monday.
"You need to be able to strive for something.
"It doesn't make sense and I just hope that the NRL have the humility and the
fairness to reassess.
"That has to happen because all of a sudden you've got a heart pumping.
"At the moment there's no heart pumping anymore."
Asked if the side could spiral downwards during the tough Origin period, Mortimer
said: "Absolutely. The only positive is it gives Craig Bellamy a chance to see what
guys are up for it for next year."
Brisbane have traditionally been the club most burned by Origin and former Broncos
and Queensland star Ben Ikin said the series affected different players in different
ways.
Melbourne's stars could return to the NRL season revitalised.
"If they go away and win a fifth-straight series it might re-energise them," he told
AAP.
"They come back to Melbourne and it's broken up what would have been a long, arduous
season because they're not playing for points."
Ikin said the Storm youngsters called on during Origin would be under less pressure
than those in recent years at the Broncos.
"There's not a season riding on it if the boys who do get a crack in first grade
don't step up and win the game," he said.
"There probably won't be the pressure-cooker environment that there normally would be."
He said the post-Origin come-down some players spoke of usually came after a losing
series.
"Some guys come out and want to take on the world once they've lost an Origin
series," he said.
"If I'd strung a couple of ordinary games together for Queensland and we'd lost the
series, my confidence would have been affected.
"It's a very personal thing."
In other NRL news, Newcastle's Jarrod Mullen will be sidelined for 2-3 weeks with
ankle syndesmosis, while the Wests Tigers are likely to name halfback Robert Lui
(ankle) for Sunday's heritage round clash with South Sydney at the SCG.