Storm player Billy Slater skips away from Andrew McCullough during the Rugby League, NRL Round 2, Brisbane Broncos v Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium, Friday March 20, 2009. Broncos won 16 - 14. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)

Storm player Billy Slater skips away from Andrew McCullough during the Rugby League, NRL Round 2, Brisbane Broncos v Melbourne Storm at Suncorp Stadium, Friday March 20, 2009. Broncos won 16 - 14. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Colin Whelan)

The State of Origin is usually seen as a drain on top clubs and is normally the first excuse the big guns wheel out at this time of year. But it could be the best thing to happen to the Melbourne Storm.

The Storm had four players backing up 48 hours after Origin 1 on Friday, but still put on their most accomplished performance of the season.

True, some of their best players on the night hadn’t played on Wednesday. But Greg Inglis looked back to his best and that is probably the first time you could have said that this season at club level.

He has raised the expectations on his performance to crazy heights due to his prior performances, but before Wednesday, Inglis didn’t look nearly as dominating as he had in previous seasons.

Origin 1 seemed to take care of that.

Brilliant on Wednesday, he then maintained that level on Friday in a performance which must have those that were saying that Melbourne would be also rans this year thinking again.

I know coaches like it when their players get picked for representative sides, despite their absence from the team, as they tend to return more confident in their own ability, motivated by being recognised and rewarded for their efforts. And they often bring that intensity back to the club game.

Inglis looks to be living proof of that.

So what about the Broncos then? They looked the exact opposite. Their attack was disjointed and the absence of Lockyer can only be partly to blame.

They still had an Origin halfback in Peter Wallace and should surely still have had the firepower in the backline to make things happen.

Did they see an easy excuse and go for it?

The other odd thing about Origin time is the idea that teams want the byes now to stop their players from backing up. That seems fine in theory, but in reality teams seem to struggle coming off a bye. So are they really all they are cracked up to be?

Some coaches will say that the bye’s benefit can come around further down the track as the players benefit from the break.

Regardless, June form can still mean little in September and October. But as things stand, the Storm look like they’ll be having something to say around then as well.

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