MELBOURNE Storm back-rower Ryan Hoffman made a skeleton training crew even thinner when he limped off Visy Park after knee tendinitis flared.

Ryan Hoffman in training last month. Picture: Michael Dodge

Hoffman was one of just nine players from the 17 who played in Storm’s last-start win against Newcastle to train with the club after a five-day break. Most of the others are away on representative duties.

He started the session but did not complete it.

Hoffman’s injury will be monitored but it isn’t expected to keep him out of Monday night’s clash with Parramatta at Parramatta Stadium.

Storm five-eighth Brett Finch watched from the sidelines as he continues his recovery from a partially collapsed lung.

Finch reported he was feeling better and is spending up to 16 hours a day on an oxygen machine to ensure his recovery is completed without any further problems.

Storm’s representative contribution of 12 players, coaches and support staff left a thin squad to complete mainly fitness drills yesterday.

There are six Melbourne people in the Queensland camp preparing for tomorrow night’s third State-of-Origin and two, including coach Craig Bellamy, with New South Wales.

And four of Storm’s best players from its feeder club on the Central Coast have been picked to play in the NSW Residents’ team in a curtain-raiser to Origin III.

Assistant coach Michael Maguire, taking charge in Bellamy’s absence, said they could do little more than conditioning work before all the representative players returned to the club on Thursday.

“We didn’t have any halves today,” he said.

“We’re working on our fundamentals and our fitness base and we’ll kick things up a gear on Thursday.”