Melbourne hitmen Brett White and Michael Crocker are bracing themselves for a pummelling as every forward pack in the NRL follows Nathan Brown's instructions to bash the premiers.

"Bring it on," White said in the aftermath of the Storm's brutal 16-10 win over Manly at Brookvale Oval on Friday night.

"It might be their last resort. All the talk since Brown had his say is that this is the way you play the Melbourne Storm - come out swinging. No doubt teams have started coming out and doing what he said to.

"It feels like that Brownie thing has had an effect on other teams. He told everyone to throw punches and they are. I've never seen Brent Kite throw one but he was into it. We have to weather that because I think it's coming for the rest of the year."

After the Dragons played the Storm in round 19, Brown said: "Get in and rip in and make the game a bloodbath."

Storm coach Craig Bellamy said Manly would have been welcome to settle the argument down a back alley and White was similarly confrontational.

"We know it's coming," he said. "We have to keep our heads switched on and remember that boxing on the football field doesn't win you games.

"We've got to be smart, but on the other hand, we can't let teams put it over us. We've got to be strong and keep our mind on the football and when that stuff does happen - because we know it's going to keep happening - we have to get back to playing football as soon as we can.

"We're not boxers, we're footy players, and we've got to keep reminding ourselves of that. We're not too worried about getting bashed, believe me. We've got Michael Crocker."

Since Brown's call to arms, the Warriors have scored a shock upset and the Sea Eagles have gone close.

"These teams really want to come out aggressive against us and try to stop the go-forward we get out of our forwards," Crocker said. "If they do that, it limits the chances our backs are going to get. You can see why teams want to stop our go-forward. Look at the blokes we've got on the outside - Israel Folau and Greg Inglis and Billy Slater.

"It's just emotion this time of year. You're playing every game like it's a grand final. Blokes are pumped up. You get all that testosterone floating around out there and it can get heated. It's exciting for people to see. We're at the top. We know every team is going to get into us."

Storm captain Cam Smith said the premiers were preparing for a torrid run.

"Every game since [the Dragons], teams have come out to try to bash us," he said. "We're a team that can adapt to that … Although sometimes we can be ugly, it's effective. It can be tiring, but it's just a part of life down in Melbourne now."