Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith knows first-hand what Warriors five-eighth Blake Green brings to an NRL team but says stopping him in their Anzac Day NRL clash is another thing.

The veteran playmaker spent two seasons at the Storm and was integral in their charge to the grand final in 2016.

With Green at the helm with the Warriors – his sixth NRL club – the Auckland-based outfit look like finally fulfilling their long-hyped potential and are joint leaders after knocking off fellow frontrunners St George-Illawarra last Friday.

Smith said they would have to be on guard for the 31-year-old, who’s been mentioned as a NSW Origin contender.

“When he came to our team he brought a calming influence over the whole side and he allowed other players around him to do their job the very best they could and I see him doing very much the same at the Warriors,” Smith said on Sunday.

“We know the style of footy that Blake plays but it’s one thing understanding the way he plays and another thing trying to stop it and that’s for the whole team to try and do.

“He’s been playing very much on the ball, he’s at first receiver a lot so he’s going to have plenty of touches and asking a lot of questions.”

After consecutive wins over the Knights and Broncos, Smith believed the Storm were starting to play to their usual standards again.

“There’s some really good signs that we’re back to where we want to be playing but there’s still some areas of our game that we need to be more consistent at,” he said.

“If we win against the Warriors, who have been one of the form teams of the competition, then we will be well on the way to where we want to be as a team.”

Melbourne confirmed they would be without Jesse Bromwich for the AAMI Park clash, with the Test prop likely to be sidelined for up to a month with a medial ligament injury.