Melbourne Storm assistant coach Steve Kearney admits that the club's salary-cap saga continues to take a toll with the findings into the rorting set to be released this week.
The club's owner News Limited commissioned independent accounting firm Deloitte to launch a forensic investigation of the Storm's books in the immediate aftermath of the NRL's sensational revelations of the cap cheating in late April.
And after spending nearly three months carefully probing Melbourne's accounts, News Limited is set to confirm on Wednesday just how far over the salary cap the club has been this year and in previous seasons, as well as how far it had been set to exceed it in 2011.
Already Ryan Tandy has departed to Canterbury-Bankstown following a mid-season release and Aiden Tolman has signed with the Bulldogs from next year while forwards Ryan Hoffman and Jeff Lima have reportedly signed with English Super League club Wigan for 2011.
But against that backdrop coach Craig Bellamy and his players are continuing to prepare for matches that ultimately bring them no reward if they win after they were stripped of the opportunity to accrue competition points this season.
And with all that in mind, Kearney, who is also the New Zealand coach, told Storm TV on Tuesday that the entire playing and coaching staff of the club are feeling the strain.
"We had a meeting at the beginning of the week which sort of highlighted I guess the situation which is in front of us and what's going to come out and as you've mentioned the player movement," Kearney said.
"It is difficult (what's happening) but we're very mindful of (the fact that) we've still got jobs that we need to do and we're still very clear about what needs to be done out on the footy field."
"And that's both on the weekend and also during the week in preparation for that so we're very mindful of that."
"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't an issue but it's a matter of juggling everything to make sure that we get the best performance on the weekend."
After defying the NRL's penalties with wins in four of its first five games after the penalties were announced, Melbourne has won just once in the past five matches but Kearney believes that has more to do with the annual State of Origin disruption than anything else.
"I certainly think we had our opportunities to get the result there (against the Bulldogs), we just lacked that polish on the end of certainly some attacking raids that we had on the Bulldogs try-line there," he said.
"A lot of our key playmakers are away for extended periods through the State of Origin (and) in essence they only get to spend a 20-minute session (with the group for) the last session of the week."
"And I think the last two matches especially against South Sydney and the Bulldogs has probably highlighted that."
"Now we get the lads back into the fold (and) I'm hoping that certainly it's going to be a lot better."
Back-rower Ryan Hoffman will travel to New Zealand for Saturday's clash with the Warriors, who were the first team to face the Storm following April's revelations, but is no certainty to play after his second medial ligament injury of the season.
And while Chase Stanley has retained his spot in the centres after replacing