They have won five from six matches, fended off their main rivals for the title last weekend and are shortening to win the premiership by the week, but the most ominous sign of Melbourne's might is that, according to their best player, they are in a "rough patch".

In comments that will send shudders through the Roosters, Greg Inglis, the star five-eighth and Clive Churchill Medallist from last year, said the premiers had "a lot of improvement" left in them. The Storm emerged from the taxing State of Origin period a little bruised, but since then they have been gaining momentum - notably in a wonderful 44-4 win over Gold Coast in round 21, in which Inglis starred - and last Friday night's defeat of Manly at a vocal Brookvale Oval.

Even so, Inglis said yesterday: "I think we've hit a rough patch over the last month. We've still got a lot of improvement left in us. I think we're still … I wouldn't say we're a long way off, but it just hasn't been to our standards. We don't want to be going into the finals not playing our best footy.

"We've got to work on a number of areas. There's little stuff with the forwards and little stuff with the backs. You can probably only pick one area at a time. Hopefully, we've got it all done by the time it comes to the finals. When it comes to the crunch, you'll see the best of me as well as the other blokes."

Inglis said he also expected more out of Manly. The Storm have won their past three matches against the Sea Eagles, starting with last year's grand final, but the 21-year-old Test and Origin star admitted the Sea Eagles would be a tougher prospect than last season.

"I think Manly have improved a lot in the last 12 or so months," Inglis said. "They've changed their style of footy, and they're going to get better and better."

Ditto the Roosters, who will face the Storm head-on at Olympic Park tomorrow night. It was a match, Inglis said, in which his side would start to flex their finals muscles. "They've come a long way, as have the Roosters," Inglis said. "They were on fire at the start of the season, and they're certainly one of the contenders. They're still one of the frontrunners and they can be dangerous when they get their game on."

Even if Inglis does not repeat his heroics of last season, he will be one of the most valuable commodities on the open market next year. The player who set up freakish tries in two of the marquee representative events this season, the Centenary Test and Origin II - and scored a couple of pearlers himself against the Titans - is off contract at the end of next year and already the subject of intense speculation.

Inglis is happy to keep everyone guessing - even refusing to rule out the prospect of following Sonny Bill Williams and Mark Gasnier into the money fields of French rugby union.

"I guess everyone would be thinking about it," Inglis said. "Going to another sport, trying new stuff. I'm still contracted here and I'll be staying here [until the end of my contract], but the option's always there. I'm open-minded about things. I don't think rugby would be my go, but in saying that, I played all through high school."

And he is happy to take his time before making his decision. "I could wait for another year," Inglis said. "They're a good bunch of people here, but I've got to look after my interests. It is a business. People these days are looking at their own backyard.."

His stocks are certainly rising off the field. Inglis has been nominated for a Deadly Award - for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders in the fields of music, sport and entertainment - for the third straight year, joining Greg Bird in a field that also includes AFL stars Lance Franklin and David Wirrpanda.