Representative prop Nate Myles is poised to join Melbourne immediately in a timely recruitment move by the NRL ladder leaders.
Released by Manly on Tuesday, Myles is expected to bolster a Storm team hard-hit by the loss of four leading players to State of Origin duty plus the cheekbone fracture last week which ruled prop Jordan McLean out for 3-4 weeks.
It comes just a day after the 31-year-old Myles was dropped from Queensland’s Origin squad, having been a mainstay through 32 matches in their decade of dominance.
It’ll be the fourth club for Myles after playing 26 of his 230 NRL games for the Sea Eagles since joining last year following stints with Canterbury then Sydney Roosters and Gold Coast.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy has a great track record of getting good mileage out of recycled players.
Storm back-rower Dale Finucane had no doubt Myles could play a useful role in Melbourne’s title push this season.
“Being an Australian representative and a Queensland Origin player, he’d bring a wealth of experience,” Finucane told reporters on Tuesday.
“He’s obviously quite an old school-type player.
“He’s just that run hard, tackle hard mentality and that’s exactly what it is.
“He’s quite tough an opponent to come up against.”
Besides the Origin period, Finucane said Myles would also give last year’s losing grand finalists valuable depth at the business end of the season.
“Over the last two years, probably more so towards the back end of the year, we’ve had injuries in both our forwards and backs,” Finucane said.
“Last year, at the start of the year we went into our depth a lot in our outside backs and probably towards the end of the year we needed a lot in our forwards.
“Nate will be able to do that and obviously bring a lot of depth to our squad if he was to be here.”
Kobi
Guest
Bellamy is 3 steps ahead of any coach In the industry that's why the Storm are streets ahead of any other NRL team. I'm a Tigers supporter and crave the success the Storm enjoys.
Ray
Guest
No one is suggesting that Bozo and Bellamy are always right but Bozo in particular was written off by a lot of Eagles fans based on his recruitment and it seems to me on balance he has done a great job. Some fans could see what Bozo was trying to do you are correct and it's all about the whole picture not the odd '' dud " buy. The narrow minded could quote Bellamy's State of Origin record as proof he can't coach or his recruitment of Myles and Rose that he can"t recruit. Bozo gets it right much , much more than his critics , experienced fans or others .
Margaret
Guest
So how much are the Storm paying him??
bearfax
Guest
Not suggesting that Bozo or Bellamy are not shrewd operators, but suggesting they are always right and supporters always wrong is a littleoff the mark. Taking the case of Myles, he came to Manly )I believe on about $500,000 a year or so. Do you think Manly have got their money's worth? There are great signings with forethought such as Taupau, Walker, Sironen, Korisau, Green, Uate, Blake and Kelly. Perrett may join that group as well as a couple of young players coming through. But there were also numerous wasted buys that have come and gone, who supporters were down on from the beginning. It happens. No one is perfect though obviously coaches are likely to be right more often than wrong, but dont downplay the thoughts of experienced supporters who also get it right often. Bennett may have picked up a great buy. But remember he stole Rose from Manly and looked what happened there
Ray
Guest
Bozo was slammed for signing Myles and now Bellamy has signed him , the real experts see more in him than the keyboard clowns it seems .
Rob
Guest
Seems like everyone wins - Manly don't need him loafing under their Salary Cap, the Storm have injury/Origin problems to resolve and Myles can count himself lucky that he isn't heading to the UK for his next Contract. Most of all a smart move by Barrett.
bearfax
Guest
Uplifting isnt it.
Bert
Guest
It is perfect weather here in Melbourne meanwhile as usual it is pouring with rain in Sydney. Miles wanted out of Sydney due to the terrible weather there.
Boz
Guest
Well that escalated quickly.
madmax
Guest
How many titles have your Cowboys won? What was the score when Manly played your Cowboys in Townsville a number of weeks back? I can tell you there are people who dislike everything Cowboys around also lolol! Manly has achieved more as a club than your Cowboys ever will my friend!
Tom G
Guest
Good move for a team hoping to go somewhere.. He has been at best just OK for Manly and he does take up a fair bit of cash. Given that they have extremely little space in their cap thanks to the NRL dictate on Stewart and Matai, a dictate overlooked for Parramatta and Watmough, this allows them to bring others forward
bearfax
Guest
Still a good solid defender but that's about it these days. Too slow in attack. Manly have placed their faith in bringing Perrett, Bainbridge and Paseka (The Tent) through. And unlike many of the clubs competing at the top, they are doing it on a budget, not huge TPAs. ..oh and I think they just picked up the highly rated Toafofoa Sipley from Auckland for a song for '18. They didnt need old legs any more. Their forward pack is a strong developing young squad on the rise.
bearfax
Guest
Not many species would head miles to the south for the winter in the Southern hemisphere
Dutski
Roar Guru
That's the long game Jimmmy!
Jimmmy
Guest
5 Myles has a standout season at the Storm. Everyone says how stupid Manly were to let him go?
Dutski
Roar Guru
Great strategy from Miles. Here's how it worked: 1. Storm has a history of turning mediocre players into players who look really good. 2. Knowing this, Myles has spent the last two years playing like a mediocre player, whilst at the same time still being selected for Origin, thus providing evidence of his potential. 3. Being dropped from Origin confirms his mediocrity and drops him into the Storm's recruiting range. 4. Recruited by Storm. There's a man who knows how to strategise the long game! Well played sir, well played!
Bunney
Roar Rookie
Brilliant insight!
Joe
Roar Rookie
Might be the lucky charm...2012 it was Richie Faoso who was a mid season transfer getting a ring.
Joe
Roar Rookie
Good stopgap solution to the Storms bench depth. He won't need to play big minutes, just quality ones. Storm lost Welch for the season and now McLean for 6 weeks. Glasby to Origin means they are lacking experienced big men with only Jessie up front. Nelson is still learning the ropes and is better as an impact player. Nichols can probably step in for a few games as can big Tui who is a union convert and still learning. Good pickup and hope he goes well.
JohnB
Guest
Not a bad choice of club if that's the objective. They don't put a deemed value on players for cap purposes?