Cronk heaped praise on his halves partner Cameron Munster after a stellar outing against the Canberra Raiders just days after Mal Meninga declared he was in the frame for an Australian call up.

Munster spent the best part of two years keeping Billy Slater's No. 1 jersey warm but has found a new home at five-eighth, meaning Melbourne will still have a star half once Cronk leaves the club at the end of the season.

Munster has been a standout this year and his NRL momentum rolled into his State of Origin debut, lauded as one of the best in the history of the concept.

Cronk wasn't surprised at all - if anything, he was expecting it.

"Whether he debuted in Origin or not, I think Cameron has been playing at a consistently high level for a long time now," Cronk said.

"He's a kid that always manages to do the right thing at the right time and the only reason why he does that is because he trains hard on a Monday to Friday."

Munster stepped up when Melbourne needed it most after Cameron Smith and Slater both left the field injured against the Raiders on Saturday night.

Smith could be facing up to six weeks on the sidelines with a pectoral injury while Slater was the victim of a brutal late swinging arm from Canberra forward Sia Soliola.

Munster never wavered, partnering Cronk to steer Melbourne to a brave victory without two of their biggest stars for a huge chunk of the match.

The 22-year-old didn't get flustered in trying to fill the void left by two of the game's biggest stars - instead he played his role to the best of his ability.

It's the same mantra Melbourne adopt during the Origin period, a time when a number of their best players are inevitably out for a handful of games every year.

Cronk says the Storm call on every player to step up and take on a leadership role when their big names head interstate, which has allowed them to turn average players into stars.

"Our mantra while our Origin players are out is that those guys who are back here at the Melbourne Storm, they run the team," Cronk said.

"They run the training sessions, they run the performance on the Saturday, and when we come back and play we just fit into what Craig [Bellamy] and the senior players at the time have spoken about all week.

"Nothing changes to be honest, it's just about those guys stepping up a little more. They don't have to kick and chase the ball, they don't have to do special things.

"They just need to be a little more consistent with their role, they just need to do it a little bit faster, a little bit stronger and with a bit more urgency."