Inglis's double came after he suffered a knock to the hip that almost forced him from the field. Bellamy said it was evidence of the 21-year-old's growing maturity that he backed up to play not only with his troublesome knee problem but also after Wednesday's torrid Origin encounter.

"He doesn't usually back up after Origin so well and I thought he played really strong today," Bellamy said. "He came out of the baby stage today and matured into a first-grade footy player."

Bolstered by the return of eight Origin representatives, the Storm resurrected their NRL premiership defence with the 16-point win at Olympic Park. The Raiders held the home side to 4-4 until the 33rd minute, when Melbourne raced in three tries in seven minutes for a 16-4 half-time lead.

Inglis's first try came from the simplest of moves, with Dallas Johnson peeling off the back of the scrum 10 metres from the try line to find the five-eighth lurking.

The second, in the 52nd minute, was more spectacular and even had the usually reserved Bellamy cheering from the stands.

Cam Smith found in-form Billy Slater, who chipped the ball ahead and then chased and kicked it into the in-goal. Canberra halfback Todd Carney appeared to have the ball covered but he didn't count on the pace and poise of Inglis, who came from behind to pounce.

But Smith said it was Inglis's defence that impressed him the most. "He's matured as a player … He knows what's expected of him now," the skipper said.

AAP