Cameron Smith and the Storm are confident in their ability to beat the Cowboys on Sunday. Credit:AAP "So, they've got some improving to do and I doubt Craig Bellamy would think differently." The former NSW Origin coach went on to say that Parramatta provided the "blueprint" for beating Melbourne after playing a physical brand of football against them in the opening week of the finals. Informed of the comments, Storm skipper Cameron Smith said the side wouldn't be distracted by outside "noise". "It's the first I've heard of it," Smith said. "For us, it's not about what people say about our football side or capabilities, whether they rate us as a good side or a bad side. It's about what we believe is going to work on Sunday against the Cowboys and that's what we've done all season. "People have been saying we are one of the greatest sides they have seen, we win by a few points against Parramatta and then all of a sudden they have found a way to beat our side. Thoughts and opinions change that quickly, it's not funny, we don't even bother listening to the noise outside."

Panthers supremo Phil Gould has labelled the Storm "overrated". Credit:AAP Melbourne has been one of the most dominant teams over the past two decades. They have, however, little silverware to show for it. They have contested seven of the past 18 grand finals, but have only two premierships to show for it, in 1999 and 2012. Three minor premierships and two grand finals wins were taken away after they were caught rorting the salary cap. Asked if they should have won grand finals given the amount of times they had made it to the decider, Storm coach Craig Bellamy said: "No. Sometimes you guys don't know how hard it is to make a grand final. "To make the grand final, you've got to do a whole heap of things right and then have some luck at the end of the year to even make one. "If you've never been involved in it, you don't know how hard it is."

The Cowboys were happy to again take the underdogs tag at the official press conference at Luna Park on Thursday. Bookmakers have installed the northerners as $4 outsiders despite their giant-killing finals run against Cronulla, Parramatta and the Roosters. The teams have already clashed twice this year, with the Storm prevailing on both occasions. The games were close; their first encounter went to golden point, while the score flattered the Storm in the latter. After that game, North Queensland coach Paul Green blew up about the performance of the match officials, attracting a $10,000 fine for his comments. Asked if the money was a prudent investment, Green said: "Investment is an interesting word to describe it. "That was probably just a build-up of a few weeks where I didn't feel I was getting some conversations happening. It's not about me being right or the refs being wrong. "I regret that when I look back at that now. It's not a good look for the game, but when you get a bit frustrated it's important to keep your emotions in check. Loading

"I'm happy with the dialogue since and I'm happy with how the games have been managed." Correction: An earlier version of this story said the Melbourne Storm had one premiership from seven grand final appearances. This has been corrected to two.