Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy expects his skipper Cameron Smith to lift to stamp himself as the NRL’s premier hooker when he meets old sparring partner Danny Buderus on Friday night.

The unbeaten competition front-runners host Buderus’s Newcastle Knights, who are coming off an impressive away win over the Bulldogs.

Buderus, 34, spent the past three years playing with English club Leeds but pushed his case for a NSW State of Origin recall with a man-of-the-match performance at Canterbury.

After his points victory over the Blues’ incumbent rake Michael Ennis, Buderus gets another chance to stake his claim lining up against Queensland hooker Smith, the player who took his Test jersey six years ago.

Bellamy expected Smith, who was one of the standouts in their crushing win over Sydney Roosters last Sunday, to rise to the challenge at AAMI Park.

“They’ve always had quite a healthy rivalry Danny and Cameron and I don’t think that’s going to change much on Friday night,” Bellamy said.

“Whoever you go out and play against, you go out to make a bit of a stamp … I’m sure Cameron would be looking it at that way and I’m sure Danny is that way as well.

Bellamy oversaw Buderus as NSW Origin coach and said the veteran was a great competitor who wasn’t letting age get the better of him.

“He’s a wonderful competitor and probably always will be,” he said.

“He played really well on Sunday. He really led the charge well for the Knights so to be playing the sort of footy he’s playing at his age is a real credit to him.”

The Storm could be without their five-eighth Gareth Widdop, who delivered his best match of the season against the Roosters.

Widdop rolled his ankle making his final tackle of the match and wasn’t at training on Tuesday.

Star fullback Billy Slater and another man-of-the-moment Cooper Cronk, who is deciding on his playing future with Melbourne, also didn’t train with the main group, although both were said to be doing “alternative” training rather than rehab.

“It’s a bit of an issue for us at the moment,” said Bellamy, who has still named an unchanged line-up.

‘The physios seem to think he’ll be OK but I imagine he’s 50:50 at the best at the moment.”