Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy is taking little notice of Leeds Rhinos' faltering start to the season as he steps up his side's preparations for Sunday's Gillette World Club Challenge.
The Engage Super League champions have lost two of their opening four matches and were unimpressive in victory against Salford in their most recent game last Friday.
"I've watched all their games this year," said Bellamy. "I'm keeping an eye on what they've been doing."
"They probably haven't played as well as they would have liked but you only have to go back to the Grand Final last year to realise how many good players they've got in that team."
"It's a big occasion for them on Sunday and I'm sure they'll lift from what they've done in the first month of the competition."
Leeds is without second rower Carl Ablett from its Grand Final-winning team and has further injury doubts over Brett Delaney and Scott Donald.
Melbourne has travelled without forwards Brett White and Sika Manu, new signing Chase Stanley and scrum half Cooper Cronk and coach Bellamy is considering switching captain Cameron Smith from hooker to fill the half-back vacancy.
Smith sat out Sunday's warm-up game against Harlequins, along with full-back Billy Slater and prop Adam Blair, after delaying his departure from Australia, but all three will go straight into the side for the Elland Road showdown.
Halifax-born utility back Gareth Widdop, who has yet to make his senior debut, is set for a substitute role after catching the eye in Sunday's 34-10 win but Bellamy has still to finalise the make-up of his bench and admits he faces a selection dilemma over Cronk's replacement.
His most likely option is to move Smith from his customary hooking role to partner stand-off Brett Finch.
"The halves is the biggest area with Cooper not there," said Bellamy. "There's a few things we can do."
"Finchy has played a lot of half-back, young Luke Kelly did a really good job against Harlequins but it's a big game next Sunday so that would be a big ask."
"Cameron Smith can play a little bit of half-back. We'll have a look at the tape and go from there."
Australia Test back row forward Ryan Hoffman, one of just five players left from the Storm team that lost 11-4 to the Rhinos in the 2008 World Club Challenge, insists the Australian champions are better prepared than they were two years ago.
"Fitness-wise, we've worked really hard in the off-season and pre-season and our medical staff have done really well to get us prepared for this game after a long trip," he said.
"We're feeling like there's more of a spring in the step than there was two years ago."
"You don't need too much motivation to get up for a World Club Challenge, especially against a Leeds side that we played against two years ago."
"That was a really enjoyable game for us. Obviously we would have loved to have got the win but it wasn't to be. We're looking forward to Sunday to hopefully get the win."
Slater, Blair, Anthony Quinn and Jeff Lima are the other Melbourne survivors from 2008 while Leeds still has 12 members of that side available, including Donald who scored the Rhinos' solitary try.
Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington believes victory for the Super League treble champions on Sunday would rank as the club's greatest achievement.
"This past