Set to play for Melbourne on Sunday just 41 hours after completing Australian duties in the Anzac Test, full-back Billy Slater has called for the game's stars to be given longer breaks after rep matches.
While skipper Cam Smith will definitely miss Sunday's clash with the Broncos with an elbow injury, the other three Kangaroos who played on Friday in Slater, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk, Kiwi Adam Blair and City-Country reps Brett White and Ryan Hoffman will all be considered for selection.
And while he is long used to having to play for either the Kangaroos against the Kiwis or the Maroons against the Blues in the annual three-match State of Origin series and then play another game within a handful of days for Storm, Slater nonetheless believes a change needs to be made.
"We've become accustomed to it over the last few years that we've been in representative football and it's just part of the game and probably a part that needs to be fixed up a little bit," Slater said after Australia's 12-8 win at a sodden AAMI Park on Friday night.
"But I'm sure we'll be right, I think Smithy's probably the only one that's definitely not going to play."
"So we'll assess how we're travelling tomorrow (Saturday) at training and obviously (coach) Craig (Bellamy) will make a decision if we'll play or not."
Having seen Smith go down a dozen minutes before half-time with an elbow injury as he tackled Kiwis enforcer Blair, Slater lauded the performance of Kurt Gidley who came off the bench to take Smith's place.
"We were very fortunate to have a guy like Kurt Gidley on the bench that can adapt to any sort of situation," Slater said.
"I think obviously (if) you take Cam Smith out of any side and it's a blow to it but I thought Kurt was really good in the middle for us tonight."
Expecting Blair to be on the end of 'a few little sly jokes' as a result of his role in Smith's injury, because 'that's the way we lighten the mood' after rep games against Storm team-mates, Slater was impressed by Sika Manu's performance off the bench for the Kiwis.
"(It was) no surprise to me that Steve Kearney picked him," he said of Kiwis coach and Storm assistant Kearney's decision to pick Manu for his first game of the season at the top level after suffering a serious leg injury last year.
"He's a great player."
"He had a terrible injury last year with a broken leg and to come back and play your first senior game in the Test match, he's a great player and he's going to be a big strike weapon for us for the rest of the year so it's great to see him back and playing well."