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Melbourne are used to regrouping after losing a superstar, this time around they’ve lost five key forwards heading into yet another season where they will somehow still be title contenders.
Last year’s fifth-placed finish was the first time they had finished outside the top four since 2014 and their first-round playoff exit ended a seven-year streak of making at least the preliminary finals stage.
Veteran coach Craig Bellamy is back again for yet another one last season at the helm before making good on his long-running threat to retire, overseeing a squad that features one of the strongest spines in the NRL in the form of Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes, Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen.
The departure of Brandon Smith to the Roosters along with Felise Kaufusi, Jesse and Kenny Bromwich to the Dolphins leaves a gaping hole in their pack but no coach has a better record of bouncing back from body blows like that collective gut punch than Bellamy.
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For the Storm to be contenders again, they need their stars to align – that is, Papenhuyzen, Munster, Hughes and Smith to have an extended run together in the key playmaking positions.
Hughes and Munster are durable, Grant played 20 matches for the first time in a season last year but Papenhuyzen has been dogged by concussion problems and a fractured kneecap in the past couple of years.
(Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
He has played just 27 from a possible 51 matches since winning the Clive Churchill Medal in the 2020 Grand Final triumph over Penrith.
For the Storm to be considered a chance of preventing the Panthers from a premiership three-peat, they not only need their spine to remain intact but for younger squad members, particularly in the forwards, to step up.
Former Dragons veteran Tariq Sims, prop Christian Welch – on the comeback trail from a torn Achilles – Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Tui Kamikamica will be called upon to pick up the slack from the experienced representative forwards who have departed Melbourne.
Scoring points won’t be a problem for the Storm with the likes of Xavier Coates and Justin Olam, but how their new-look pack performs will dictate whether their defence will be strong enough to be a top-four team.
Depth is far and away the Storm’s biggest problem.
Their first-choice 17 should be able to match it more often than not with the very best teams in the NRL but if injuries strike, Bellamy doesn’t have his usual cavalcade of hard-nosed first-graders at his disposal.
Nick Meaney is their Mr Fix-It who can cover all bases in the backline and the halves are a particular weak point if Munster or Hughes are unavailable.
Meaney can fill in at either halves role but outside of him there is only untried but highly rated rookie Jonah Pezet, back-up dummy-half Tyran Wishart or Jayden Nikorima, who played once last year in his first NRL appearance since seven matches in 2016 at the Roosters.
(Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Losing both long-term edge forwards in Kaufusi and Kenny Bromwich means the Storm may need time to get their combinations on each side of the ruck firing on all cylinders.
The arrival of Eliesa Katoa from the Warriors is one with a high variance. He has been down on form the past couple of seasons as he’s gone in and out of the line-up after an eye-catching 2020 rookie campaign. Bellamy can, and likely will, get the best out of the young Kiwi.
They’ve got a tough kick-off, away to Parramatta for the first match of the opening round, before a trio of lesser opponents in the Dogs, Titans and Tigers.
Melbourne have a tough trip to Townsville on the Sunday after Origin I, and will be missing their rep stars for a trip to Campbelltown in Round 16 against Wests, but get one of their byes before the third match.
The success of their run to the finals will be determined in the month after Origin when they face the Roosters on the road, a trip to Newcastle, then back-to-back blockbusters at home to Parramatta and away to Penrith. They close out the regular season with bogey team Canberra, before likely wins over the Dragons, Gold Coast and Brisbane.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
After all the drama surrounding lucrative offers to leave at the end of last season, Munster is locked in at the Storm for three more years and the period can be career-defining as the team will look to the charismatic five-eighth to pave the way as the go-to guy in the big moments.
Grant and Papenhuyzen are the additional attacking sparks who will feed off Munster.
Whether darting out of dummy half or converting half-breaks into scoring plays, they have the potential to cause havoc in any defensive line.
Last season he was lucky to avoid suspension on several occasions for dubious acts which bore a very strong resemblance to cheap shots. The Storm need the gigantic Kiwi on the field more than ever after their pack has lost plenty of experience in the off-season but whether he can control his aggression remains to be seen.
A former Australian Schoolboys and Queensland under 19 representative, the 20-year-old centre has been earmarked by the Storm as a star of the future for a couple of years and with the size to also play in the second row, he could be a handy bench option this season.
He has the job for as long as he wants it – only he knows whether this will be his last year or another season where he decides to delay retirement yet again.
The Storm are considered the third favourites at $7.50 to win the title with PlayUp behind only the Panthers and Roosters.
On the fringe of the top four looks their most likely landing spot unless – if they get a golden run with injuries, they could challenge for the title but their roster is thinner than it’s been for a long time.
1 Nick Meaney
2 George Jennings
3 Reimis Smith
4 Justin Olam
5 Xavier Coates
6 Cameron Munster
7 Jahrome Hughes
8 Christian Welch
9 Harry Grant
10 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
11 Eliesa Katoa
12 Tariq Sims
13 Josh King
Interchange
14 Tyran Wishart
15 Tepai Moeroa
16 Trent Loiero
17 Tui Kamikamica
Other squad members: Ryan Papenhuyzen (injured), Dean Ieremia, Jayden Nikorima, Joe Chan, Jonah Pezet, Jordan Grant, Marion Seve, Jack Howarth, Tom Eisenhuth, Alec MacDonald, Aaron Pene, Will Warbrick.
| Round | Opponent | Date | Time | Venue |
| 1 | Eels | Thursday, March 2 | 7.50pm | CommBank Stadium |
| 2 | Bulldogs | Saturday, March 11 | 7.35pm | AAMI Park |
| 3 | Titans | Saturday, March 18 | 3pm | Cbus Super Stadium |
| 4 | Tigers | Friday, March 24 | 6pm | AAMI Park |
| 5 | Rabbitohs | Friday, March 31 | 8.05pm | Accor Stadium |
| 6 | Roosters | Thursday, April 6 | 7.50pm | AAMI Park |
| 7 | Sea Eagles | Friday, April 14 | 8pm | 4 Pines Park |
| 8 | Warriors | Tuesday, April 25 | 7pm | AAMI Park |
| 9 | Bye | |||
| 10 | Rabbitohs | Saturday, May 6 | 7.45pm | Suncorp Stadium |
| 11 | Broncos | Thursday, May 11 | 7.50pm | AAMI Park |
| 12 | Dolphins | Saturday, May 20 | 7.35pm | Suncorp Stadium |
| 13 | Bye | |||
| 14 | Cowboys | Sunday, June 4 | 4.05pm | QCB Stadium |
| 15 | Sharks | Sunday, June 11 | 4.05pm | AAMI Park |
| 16 | Tigers | Saturday, June 17 | 7.35pm | Campbelltown Sports Stadium |
| 17 | Sea Eagles | Saturday, June 24 | 7.35pm | AAMI Park |
| 18 | Panthers | Friday, June 30 | 8pm | AAMI Park |
| 19 | Bye | |||
| 20 | Roosters | Saturday, July 15 | 7.35pm | SCG |
| 21 | Knights | Saturday, July 22 | 5.30pm | McDonald Jones Stadium |
| 22 | Eels | Friday, July 28 | 8pm | AAMI Park |
| 23 | Panthers | Friday, August 4 | 8pm | BlueBet Stadium |
| 24 | Raiders | Sunday, August 13 | 2pm | AAMI Park |
| 25 | Dragons | Saturday, August 19 | 7.35pm | WIN Stadium |
| 26 | Titans | Saturday, August 26 | 3pm | AAMI Park |
| 27 | Broncos | Thursday, August 31 | 7.50pm | Suncorp Stadium |