NRL round one tips: Andrew Johns identifies Eels' 'not fair' weapon to put Storm's outrageous streak at risk

Melbourne have not lost a round one game in Craig Bellamy's time at the helm and even with many pundits tipping Parramatta to have a big year, few are willing to go out on a limb and tip them to end arguably the wildest current streak in the NRL.

Twenty-two round one wins in a row tell a story of Bellamy's famously meticulous pre-seasons.

He has the uncanny knack of perfecting his team's preparation, so that even if he takes them deep into September the year before and gets the smallest window for full training with his top stars before round one, he still manages to get them physically and mentally ready for the start of the season better than anyone else.

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This off-season Bellamy has had his fair share of challenges, with Cameron Munster and Harry Grant returning to the club relatively late due to their involvement in the Ashes series, while he has also lost key stars Ryan Papenhuyzen (retirement), Nelson Asofa-Solomona (released), Eliesa Katoa (concussion) and Xavier Coates (long-term Achilles injury).

In Thursday night's round one clash he will blood several players with very little NRL experience, including centre Moses Leo (two games), back-rower Ativalu Lisati (15 games), giant front row debutant Cooper Clarke, as well as two rookies, 20-year-old reigning Jersey Flegg Cup player of the year Preston Conn and winger Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown on the six-man bench.

Throw in the distraction of the Zac Lomax saga and there's a case to be made that the Storm are as vulnerable to start a season as they have been in years.

On the other side of the coin is a Parramatta team that appears to be building towards something special under impressive young coach Jason Ryles.

The way the Eels have handled the Lomax situation is viewed by many as another sign that the club is made of sterner stuff these days under the no nonsense Ryles, who wasted no time tapping high profile players on the shoulder last year in a bid to reshape the club in his image.

Under Ryles, the Eels have started to show signs of an expansive blueprint, with signals that the next iteration will focus on freeing the dangerous Mitchell Moses running game, with Jonah Pezet to handle a lot of the duties at first receiver.

Writing in his column for The Sydney Morning Herald, former Eels consultant Andrew Johns was excited by the prospect of Moses being unleashed a little wider, with the ability of ball-playing prop Junior Paulo to attract defenders and get the ball away considered key.

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"Parramatta's attack is unstructured and focuses on ball movement, which reduces the impact of the wrestle and can trouble Melbourne's defensive structure," Johns wrote.

" ... Props Junior Paulo and J'maine Hopgood are so effective with their short passing game and Jack de Belin can fit into that style as he trades the Red V for blue and gold.

"Kitione Kautoga is an underrated threat out wide too and someone who has improved out of sight. He runs incredible lines and you can see the trust Parramatta's halves have in him already.

"And then Paulo is so good at challenging the defensive line that he's a threat both through the middle and lurking out wide on the right edge.

"Really, it's not fair to have such a big, skilful man lining up opposite the playmakers, and there's an art to what he does in the tackle."

Johns may be excited about the Eels' potential to trouble the Storm but despite how much he likes what he sees, the eighth Immortal is still unwilling to go against a Bellamy coached side in round one.

Like the majority of Nine's tipsters, Johns has predicted the status quo, with the Storm to win a tight game to make it 23 round one wins in a row.

Scroll below to see who Nine's expert tipsters picked to win the remaining round one games following the Knights and Bulldogs wins in Las Vegas.

Andrew Johns: Storm, Roosters, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Dolphins

Brad Fittler: Storm, Roosters, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs

Johnathan Thurston: Eels, Roosters, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs

Paul Gallen: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Sharks, Raiders, Rabbitohs

Billy Slater: Storm RoostersPanthersTitansSea EaglesDolphins

Ruan Sims: Storm, Roosters, Panthers, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs

Mat Thompson: Storm, Roosters, Broncos, Sharks, Raiders, Rabbitohs

Peter Psaltis: Storm, Roosters, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Dolphins

David Middleton: Storm, Roosters, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs

The Mole: Storm, Warriors, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Dolphins

Ben Glover: Eels, Roosters, Broncos, Sharks, Sea Eagles, Dolphins