Melbourne have never enjoyed a warm NRL welcome from Cronulla crowds but they’d take boos over silence at this point.

The Storm will head up and back to Sydney on their NRL charter flight on Saturday for their round-two clash with the Sharks at Jubilee Oval.

With the game their first to be played in an empty stadium due to the coronavirus, Storm prop Jesse Bromwich said he’d actually miss the hostility from fans.

The clubs have had fierce rivalry which increased after their 2016 grand final decider, with a series of scuffles in recent encounters.

In their 2018 round-four clash there were a record 33 penalties, with Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith sin-binned for the first time in his career.

“They like to come out against us and remind us of what happened a few years ago,” Bromwich said of the Sharks’ title win.

“Having the fans there, even if they are on the other side, they get you going and they’re the reason why you play this game.

“Even though they’re out there giving us hell most of the time, the crowds fire you up and get you going.

“It’s going to be a weird one; it will feel different hearing yourself screaming and hearing the other team echoing through the stadium.”

Bromwich said he wanted to play on Saturday and felt the club and the NRL were doing their best to keep the players safe while keeping the competition going.