Melbourne have no concerns about their form heading into the NRL finals despite back-to-back losses and a fresh batch of injury worries.

The minor premiers went down 40-8 to the Sydney Roosters on Sunday but still did enough to clinch the JJ Giltinan Shield, which will be presented to them when they open their finals campaign against eighth-placed Newcastle at AAMI Park on Sunday.

While the performance against the Roosters was partly due to big guns Cameron Smith and Billy Slater being rested, their finals preparation has hardly been ideal with prop Jaiman Lowe (knee), centre Maurice Blair (hamstring) and five-eighth Gareth Widdop (ankle) all injured against the Roosters.

Widdop is expected to be sidelined for two weeks, Lowe rated the most likely of the trio to meet the Knights after Blair's hamstring flared on Monday.

Smith, speaking at Monday's traditional captain's call in Sydney, said mitigating circumstances in losses to the Roosters and Manly the previous week meant not too much could be read into the side's form.

"We didn't have the best preparation leading into the finals but we had a huge change to our team last night and the Roosters played extremely well," Smith said.

"We're not going to be looking too much into the game last night or the week before or any other game before that really.

"It's about the way we prepare this week and the team we're playing is the Knights."

Melbourne forward Todd Lowrie said the side was comfortable with how it was positioned.

"We're on top, we finished first," Lowrie said.

"We're certainly not panicking, we've got no reason to panic.

"We've proven ourselves throughout the year that we are a good football side.

"We've got to get back to the things that put us on top all year and we're confident we can do that."

He acknowledged that the side had no winning momentum but said it wasn't an issue.

"What we've done in the previous 24 rounds of the competition is going to put us in better stead than the last two weeks," Lowrie said.

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy only withdrew Smith, Slater and prop Bryan Norrie a few minutes before the team had to be confirmed with match officials, once he knew they had won the minor premiership following Manly's loss to Brisbane.

Smith said he wanted to play against the Roosters but understood the reasoning behind the decision.

"I wanted to play and Billy wanted to play and Bryan Norrie wanted to play as well - we were only informed 20 minutes before we were meant to go out and warm up," Smith said on Monday.

"Craig grabbed us three and took us in the back of the shed and said he's done a bit of homework during the week and had a bit of advice from some different sporting organisations that it might be a good idea to rest us this week.

"Even when the boys were warming up the three of us went out on the field and I was still sort of thinking I want to be out there playing tonight, but feeling the effects this morning, it's just been a huge positive for us - I feel very fresh.

"I know I would have been feeling a lot different this morning if I was out there playing last night against that Roosters team."

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