"Half this game is 90 per cent mental," American baseball manager Danny Ozark once said, tangling his thoughts in a post-season media conference.

Things never quite add up in sport.

The world of football is always a little skewed, best viewed with head tilted sideways, as one studies an abstract painting or a concussed player attempts to focus.

At the end of a long season, psychological factors can outweigh the physical.

This is especially relevant for this weekend's NRL qualifying finals when the No.1-ranked Storm host the No.8-ranked Warriors, the only team in the past three seasons to beat Melbourne after trailing at half-time; No.2-ranked Sea Eagles host the No.7-ranked Dragons, who have beaten them seven times out of the past eight games; and No.4-ranked Roosters play the No.5-ranked Broncos, who have won their past five matches against the Roosters at Sydney Football Stadium.

Only the No.3-ranked Sharks, who have won five of their past six matches against the No.6-ranked Raiders, meet usual end-of-season expectations.

Mental factors explained the Storm's turnaround from an error-ridden loss against Newcastle in round 25 to their almost faultless display against South Sydney last Sunday night.

Physically, the Storm were rested for both games, with coach Craig Bellamy giving them three days off before the Rabbitohs match and the players relaxing for the Newcastle game at a Central Coast resort.

It was the same Terrigal resort used by Mal Meninga's Maroons in their successful State of Origin campaign.

"It was a very nice hotel on a hill overlooking the water," Storm halfback Cooper Cronk said. "In the boys' downtime, they played tennis, went surfing, played golf. It was not the type of normal preparation we have in Melbourne."

Veteran observers have never seen the focus of a team change as radically as it did after the Newcastle loss.

The Storm have identified three reasons - the desire to win the minor premiership, the need to send foundation player Matt Geyer into retirement as a winner on his last regular season appearance at Olympic Park, and thirdly, redemption for the loss in Newcastle.

Of these, winning the minor premiership had always loomed large in the minds of the players, more so than with Bellamy.

It has not been written on white boards, or bannered in the weight room, or discussed in team meetings.

It has just been there all year, sitting subliminally above their heads, like a small plane trailing a message in the sky.

Geyer's exit was important too, as are all milestones with the Storm, such as 200th games.

The Storm don't have a mortgage on this - Wests Tigers were pumped up to send their brave fullback Brett Hodgson out a winner, as were the Broncos keen to celebrate the last game at Suncorp Stadium of long-serving coach Wayne Bennett and veteran lock, Tonie Carroll.

A comparison of the opening stages of the Storm's past two games suggests a giant switch was thrown over their collective mindsets.

In Newcastle, Melbourne fullback Billy Slater dropped the ball from the kick-off and the Knights scored. Against Souths, the Storm scored inside four minutes and Slater put his team in minor premiership-winning position with two brilliant tries early in the second half.

For a time on Sunday night, fans could be excused for thinking both the Storm and Raiders were playing within themselves.

The Raiders needed to beat the Bulldogs by 17 points to clinch sixth place and won by 18.

The Storm had their necessary 26-point buffer covered but Souths always threatened with a "play off the top of your head" counter-attack.

Any thought the Storm were playing within themselves dissipated when a scrum was set with seven minutes remaining.

The Storm pack drove forward, won the ball against the feed and scored a try to extend the points difference to 38, meaning a late converted try by the Rabbitohs was inconsequential.

Players high-fived, embraced and jigged a little dance of joy in celebration of winning the minor premiership, an honour which reflected on Souths as well. Afterall, Melbourne's last try was inspired by respect for Souths.

The one factor constantly overlooked by fans, even bookmakers, in assessing form lines and form reversals is the quality of the opposition.

Newcastle played above themselves against an underdone Storm and the same mindset threatens to claim a victim this weekend.