Melbourne see their heavy loss to the Cowboys as a valuable lesson learned ahead of their NRL clash with competition high-flyers the Bulldogs at home on Monday night.

Storm backrower Todd Lowrie said they were embarrassed by the 34-6 loss last Monday night, which they put down mostly to attitude.

"We had a little bit of confidence after two wins, we certainly weren't complacent, but it was a pretty humbling performance," Lowrie said.

"It was a lesson to everybody, it just shows that every week you have to turn up otherwise you'll get your pants pulled down.

"You've got to be on your game, things just don't happen."

Lowrie has been given the weighty task of replacing the rampaging Sika Manu, who is out for up to six weeks after suffering ankle ligament damage in the Cowboys game.

Manu makes a ton of ground each week for the Storm and Lowrie said all of the players would have to lift to fill the breach.

"I don't think I'll be carrying his load," Lowrie laughed.

"He's a great go forward for us and he's been on fire so he's going to be missed.

"We'll all have to pick up the slack a bit."

Coach Craig Bellamy named a 17-man squad earlier in the week and Lowrie said the run-on side was still to be finalised.

The Bulldogs, who have former Storm boys Aiden Tolman and Steve Turner in their ranks, are unbeaten after three rounds.

Lowrie said they have identified how to stop the benchmark team, now they just have to put it into practice.

"We've got to stop their go-forward, that's a big thing and they've got big Jamal (Idris) out in the centres who has obviously been identified, he's been on fire the first few rounds.

"But we've just got to get ourselves playing well again.

"We'll be looking to fix up our defence because that's something we pride ourselves on."

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