Did 20 of those come against us in the first round?
Said it before, but the Storm are the best team at influencing refs I've ever seen. Part of that approach is to continually push the boundaries so that the refs just get sick of penalising them. They're also very aware that if you concede penalties early in a game you're more than likely to be rewarded with square ups/"Trent"/sympathy penalties later on - when it usually counts a hell of a lot more.
This is why NRL refs are so terrible - they ref to a perceived "pattern" with the aim of achieving a desired outcome (the so-called "fair" penalty count) instead of refereeing the game on its merits. If it's a penalty, blow it - every time. If it's a penalty in the first minute it's also a penalty in the 80th minute. If you end up with a lopsided penalty count, so be it. Just ref the game as it happens.