Melbourne players have credited a brutal reality check from Tariq Sims on his arrival at the Storm for helping put the steel back in the NRL club.

Thursday night's 16-12 win over Parramatta was as gutsy as they come in a season opener, with the already injury-plagued Storm further decimated by injuries.

While Cameron Munster played on with a compound dislocation of his finger, Xavier Coates battled a collarbone problem. Harry Grant was affected too and had to overcome knee pain.

Bronson Garlick also finished his debut with a black eye after charging down a Mitch Moses field goal attempt late in regulation time, while Young Tonumaipea suffered a gash to his eye.

The golden-point win prompted Craig Bellamy to claim afterwards the steel was back in his team, after they finished fifth last year but faltered in the first week of the finals.

Afterwards, Munster admitted a blunt message from Sims had made Storm players realised they had slipped.

"We spoke to Tariq Sims when he came down to the club and asked him what he thought we lost or lacked a little bit when he came here," Munster said.

"He said a bit of aggression and a bit of mongrelness.

"That really opened our eyes up. We thought we need to get back to the style of footy we want to play."

Sims remains on the sidelines for Melbourne with a calf injury, along with Ryan Papenhuyzen, Justin Olam, Tui Kamikamica and George Jennings among others.

Munster said Sims' comment was even more eye-opening given he had just arrived at the club.

"Tariq is an honest man, that's why I love him," Munster continued.

"He doesn't beat around the bush. It was brutal honesty and we needed that. We need a reality check, it was good."

Munster's comments come after Bellamy admitted they had been "folding more than fighting" in the past year.

Captain Christian Welch, who missed all bar one game of last year with an ACL injury, said a stronger and more resilient forward pack had been a focus for the Storm.

"We kept turning up, it was really brave," Welch said.

The guys who came in did a fantastic job. We have worked on it. We want to be a really hungry and aggressive side with our forward pack.

"We were against one of the premier packs and I thought the boys really turned up."