Munster keeping eye on close rival Keary with big games on horizon

Cameron Munster says he must find an extra gear as he targets the Roosters and their star five-eighth Luke Keary in the finals.

With the Storm second on the ladder and the Roosters third, another blockbuster showdown could come as soon as the first week of the play-offs.

"Big players win big games and both teams have got big-game players," Munster said after scoring two tries in Sunday's 36-20 win over the Cowboys.

"It will all come down to who wants it more. I haven't played against the Roosters [this year] so I will be really looking forward to the challenge against Keary.

"Finals footy is a different calibre again. We were minor premiers last year, had two losses and you are out the back door.

"We will make sure we do everything we can to be standing on the podium [on grand final day]."

Munster's last two finals outings against the Roosters in finals football were unhappy ones. There was the 21-6 loss in the 2018 grand final where he was sin-binned twice and the 14-6 loss in the preliminary final last year where the Storm never got into their groove.

The 2017 premiership winner and veteran of 14 finals appearances agreed he had more to offer as a player than he showed on those occasions.

"When you play against the good teams you need to adapt and go out of your comfort zone and do different things that you wouldn't usually do.

"Teams do a lot of video these days and look at your strengths so I guess I need to sharpen up a couple of tools in my own tool set, make sure I nail them down and find some other things I can get better with to make sure I have an all-round great performance against whoever I play in the finals.

"That's my job. I get the big bucks to perform and I need to make sure I do it this year."

With teams to enter the 2020 finals having played for 18 consecutive weeks,  Munster said winning a qualifying final and getting a week off would be crucial.

"If we have to rest some players in the next couple of weeks we will to make sure everyone is fresh and ready going into that game," he said.

The Storm conceded four tries against the Cowboys on Sunday and lacked intensity in defence at times. On a positive note, they were able to showcase their power running game and razzle-dazzle with the ball.

"We showed glimpses of what we can do and we showed what complacency looks like," Munster said.

"Unfortunately at the back end of that game, we let the Cowboys get a sniff."

Munster said the silver lining was the lack of intensity occurred now and not in a sudden-death final. It was a wake-up call.

"We have to work out what team we want to be," he said.

"I want us to be an aggressive side. When we have the foot on the throat we have got to keep it there."