Melbourne prop Brett White says fiery Sharks skipper Paul Gallen must be contained if his side is to advance to their third successive NRL grand final.

White named Gallen and veteran halfback Brett Kimmorley as the keys to the Sharks' unheralded run of success, which has led them to Friday night's preliminary final at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The Melbourne forward has played alongside Gallen in the NSW State of Origin side, and said he definitely preferred to be his teammate rather than rival.

"Paul Gallen plays with all his heart, he's the sort of bloke you hate playing against but love playing with," White said.

"He puts it all out there.

"They've got a lot of good players who do a lot of good things but those two lead them.

"Brett Kimmorley has obviously got the experience and leads them around the park wonderfully so they are probably the two key players."

Just like Melbourne pre-premiership, the low profile Sharks pack, with the likes of Luke Douglas, Isaac De Gois, Adam Peek and Ben Ross, don't receive the accolades they deserve but the Storm are well aware of their credentials.

"They are a mentally tough side, it doesn't matter who they're playing and the situation they're in, they stick in there and they're a grinding side, a tough side to play against," White said.

"Paul Gallen leads that, he controls the aggression, and he's going to be the bloke to contain."

White is no stranger to aggression, suspended for four matches after the Storm's last clash with the Sharks early this season when he retaliated after Ross elbowed Melbourne halfback Cooper Cronk.

White said any personal rivalries were forgotten in a preliminary final, with a place in the grand final at stake.

"When it comes to a game like this it doesn't matter who's the rival and what you've got against the other team," he said.

"You're playing for a chance to go on to the biggest stage of all, one team gets that, the other goes on mad Monday."

Despite two physical encounters in the lead-up, with a loss to the Warriors and a last-gasp victory over the Broncos, White felt his side may have an advantage over the Sharks, who have had a week off.

"At least we've got momentum going, playing week to week tough footy," he said.

"I think that's what you need in finals footy."

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