The Melbourne Storm would not be feeling "any more or less pressure" to win games despite being unable to accrue premiership points this NRL season, a sports psychologist says.

Pride and "white-line fever" would continue to be prime motivators for the players irrespective of the club's penalty for salary cap breaches, says Jacqui Louder who has experienced life inside a football club rocked by controversy.

"I think you'll see the Melbourne Storm go out and do the job they are renowned for doing," Ms Louder told AAP.

"It's white-line fever - once they step inside those white lines it is game on and that doesn't change because (the NRL) has decided to penalise them.

"Once these athletes step into the playing arena, getting the job done and the satisfaction of winning is paramount."

Ms Louder was head psychologist at the athlete village for Melbourne's 2006 Commonwealth Games and was club psychologist for the AFL's North Melbourne Kangaroos for five years - including the period of intense media focus and public controversy surrounding the exit of key forward Wayne Carey.

She is now a consultant based at the Olympic Park sports precinct where the Melbourne Storm play.

Ms Louder said it was likely the Storm players would be feeling some "anger and resentment" towards the NRL, as they had paid a "very hefty price" for the club's failings at an administrative level.

But she said in the mind of an elite sportsman, those emotions were viewed as secondary to performances on-field and in training.

It was not always obvious to fans but there were "two very different domains" in elite sport - the administrators who run a club and those players who represent it.

A club could have the appearance of being besieged by bad news from an external view, she said, while to the players it was mostly business as usual.

"You look at all the big (off-field controversies) that happen in sport ... I was the psychologist at North Melbourne when the whole Wayne Carey thing happened," Ms Louder said.

"There was so much talk outside but within the club the boys just got on with the job. They trained, they had a season to prepare for, they didn't get involved.

"This is why I don't think any of the (Storm) players were aware of what was going on - players don't talk with each other about how much they are paid."

Ms Louder said the absence of premiership points would make the Storm players no less likely to go for a hard tackle, and their domination of the New Zealand Warriors last weekend was proof.

If anything the Storm could feel they now have more to play for, she said.

"The focus now is about pride for their club and showing they are not just playing for money and premierships," Ms Louder said.

"Later in the season things might change, if some of their top players are approached by other clubs out of contract and they feel they want to leave the club.

"(But) I don't think there is any more or less pressure to win ... nobody can put any more pressure on the players than what they put on themselves at that elite level."

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