Melbourne skipper Cameron Smith believes unlike last year, the Storm are peaking at the right time of the NRL season.

Melbourne enter their fifth grand final in seven years confident their mid-season slump is a memory, and their form has hit a timely upward curve.

Smith says the club coaching and medical staff should take a bow for their efforts, after the team swept aside Manly at the weekend to enter Sunday's grand final against Canterbury at ANZ Stadium.

"Last year we ran out of legs by the end, and we got steamrolled by the Warriors," Smith said on Monday.

"We were running on fumes, and that's why (we lost the preliminary final).

"This year, we went through a tough patch after State of Origin ... and after that the load of training was pulled back a bit to refresh physically and mentally.

"We knew it was going to be important to be right in the back half of the season.

"We're in a lot better shape than we were last year."