‘He sprayed me’: Stefano Utoikamanu cops Craig Bellamy lecture on the chin, with prop ready to replace Payne Haas if necessary

One of the main reasons Stefano Utoikamanu joined the Melbourne Storm was so he could develop his game to help him get back in the Origin mix. If Payne Haas doesn’t recover from a quad strain, then the move south will have paid off immediately, with Utoikamanu next in line to join the NSW 17 for the series opener. Utoikamanu is part of the extended squad but will come into the side for the Suncorp Stadium showdown next Wednesday night if Haas isn’t given the all clear to play. The early indications are that the Broncos superstar should be good to go for the game on his home deck, but Laurie Daley has a man champing at the bit to play if called upon. “Payne might not play and you don’t really know what might happen,” Utoikamanu said. “I feel like everyone in this 20-man squad is a chance of playing, even Campbell Graham and Haumole Olakau’atu who are outside of the 17. “Everyone needs to train like they might play, and that’s what I’m going to do this week. “If I don’t play, I’m still very excited to be here and I’m happy to help the team prepare because I want to see these guys beat Queensland.” Utoikamanu played one game off the bench for the Blues in 2023, with his failure to be reselected one of the reasons why he left the Tigers at the end of last season to move to Melbourne. His numbers this season are on par with what he did in previous years, but the hulking prop says it’s the little things that have improved in the Storm system. “My decision to leave the Tigers was based on development, and I feel like I’m trying to take the next steps to be a better player,” he said, fully aware that he had to work on his effort areas under fatigue. “It’s been a bit of a long journey and a bit of a process to get back into this (NSW) squad, and to be honest, I didn’t really expect to be in this squad. “It’s little things in my game in defence and attack (that I’ve improved). “I’m more aware of when to get in and out of tackles, and I’m probably working a bit more with my team. It’s still a bit of a process now and I’m still not the best I can be. “I know I can develop more as a player, but coming into a squad like this when there are already a lot of quality players in my position, looking at how they prepare for games and what they see on the field will help me.” Utoikamanu has already had six wins in the NRL this season to tie his previous season best at the Tigers, but he knows that number should be higher had it not been for a controversial incident at Magic Round. The powerhouse prop was penalised while in possession during golden point despite copping ruck interference and a shove from Blues teammate Hudson Young, with Utoikamanu and Canberra’s Josh Papali’i sent to the sin bin. The Raiders went downfield and won the game, with Utoikamanu copping it from Storm coach Craig Bellamy in the sheds. “Before going there, I knew he was pretty big on standards,” Utoikamanu said. “His biggest thing is your first effort is your best effort. I know the effort areas down there are near the top of the game and they push that a lot down there. “That penalty a couple of weeks ago was a bit tough and he sprayed me a bit after the game. But when you go back and look at it, I felt like I didn’t do that much wrong and I was a little bit hard done by. “But we have a guy who comes in for our mindset and he told me that there are things you can’t change on the field, and the only thing you can control is yourself. “I didn’t control what I did on the field that day, and some of the things I did, I wish I could take back because we lost the game.”