Storm fans could be forgiven for expecting the worst in the aftermath of the club's bruising victory over Leeds in the World Club Challenge last week, but coach Craig Bellamy insists his travel-weary squad have a 'spring in their step' ahead of their Round 1 clash with Cronulla on Saturday.
The 18-10 win in front of a raucous Elland Road crowd was a brutal affair at times, but all signs point to a successful recovery since the team touched down in Melbourne less than a week ago.
"We only got back last Wednesday so we've only had a couple of training sessions at the end of last week on Thursday and Friday, so we were probably a little bit slow getting back into it then," said Bellamy.
"But we trained yesterday and we had a real spring in their step yesterday, so it looks like we are over the effects of the trip and looking forward to Saturday night at Shark Park."
It's been a packed schedule for Storm's representative players since they won the 2009 premiership, with eight members of the squad required for national duty in the Four Nations held in October as well as the recent whirlwind trip to Leeds.
But Bellamy believes his elite players can cope with what's been a less-than traditional preseason.
"The guys that have played for Australia and New Zealand, a lot of those guys are older guys so they've had a lot of preseasons so it doesn't take them as long to get their fitness levels when they've got that base of five or six preseasons."
The hard-fought win over a Leeds side already well entrenched in Super League competition was a strong indicator that the fitness levels of the defending champions are up to scratch ahead of Round 1.
"I think some of the results of that preseason showed in the results against Leeds, " Bellamy said.
"A lot of our guys only had the one game before that game whereas Leeds had five or six, so I thought our fitness was pretty good."
"Certainly it will still be in the back of our minds the two weeks we had over there (in England), the travel there and the travel back. But the medical staff have done a great job of planning for that and I'm sure they'll continue to plan and well follow that plan."
While a backs-to-the-wall win on foreign soil could suggest reasonable form, Bellamy insisted there was still plenty of work to do for a side that has been the competition's yard-stick in recent years.
"There was a few things in the game against Leeds we can improve on," he said.
"We'd like to raise it (the bar) again, some things we did well against Leeds, we'd like to continue this week in the first two or three rounds of the competition."
Jet-setting aside, the opening three rounds shape as an early test for the Storm's season, with the Melbourne club scheduled to play away against the Sharks, Knights and Panthers in succession.
"It is a tough start without a doubt, but we were aware of this in November or October , so we've planned for that," Bellamy said.