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As part of a series profiling the expected Round 1 sides for all 17 NRL clubs in 2023, Melbourne are shaping up to have several new faces in their team.
Melbourne’s hopes of kicking off 2023 with a bang have been dealt a blow with scans confirming Justin Olam broke his forearm during the trial against the Roosters on Sunday.
The star centre will undergo surgery but is expected to be out for at least six weeks after suffering the injury at Geelong in the first hit-out of the year.
With fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen struggling to get back to full fitness and expected to miss the first six weeks of the season due to his fractured kneecap from last year, the Storm are again being stretched out wide.
Despite the early-season setbacks on the injury front and the departure of a bunch of established forwards, it would be foolish to predict the Storm are not going to be finals contenders yet again.
Craig Bellamy is sticking around for another premiership tilt and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if he again decided at some point during the season to delay his oft-threatened retirement another year.
Melbourne secured a massive win in the off-season by convincing Cameron Munster to put pen to paper on a contract extension despite being thrown bucketloads of cash by the Dolphins to head back to Queensland.
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When the Storm open the season on March 2 away to Parramatta they will have a handful of players making their club debut but they will still field a potent side which could very well get them back into the top four after they slid to fifth and were bounced by Canberra in the first week of last season’s finals.
Tariq Sims. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Bellamy has reinforced his pack with a few typically astute signings.
Warriors second-rower Eliesa Katoa was thought of a star in the making when he had a barnstorming rookie season a couple of years ago but was not given much of an opportunity last season and was surprisingly granted an early release to cross the Tasman.
Fellow forward Aaron Pene has returned to the Victorian capital after a season with the Warriors while Dragons veteran Tariq Sims could give the Storm a strike weapon on the edge if he can avoid injuries and the judiciary.
They have also recruited Joe Chan, whose father Alex played for the Storm. The 20-year-old forward has cut his teeth with a dozen games with Catalans in the Super League and, like Sims, can switch between the edge and middle.
There’s more than 800 NRL games that have walked out the door at AAMI Park following Felise Kaufusi, Jesse and Kenny Bromwich joining the Dolphins and fellow international Brandon Smith accepting a lucrative Roosters offer.
David Nofoaluma has returned to the Wests Tigers after his late-season loan stint while veteran utility Chris Lewis was not re-signed and back-up half Cooper Johns is now a Sea Eagle.
(Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
The Storm’s backline will not be back to full strength for Round 1 with star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen (kneecap), centres Justin Olam (broken arm) and Marion Seve (knee), forward Tariq Sims (calf) and winger George Jennings (knee) unavailable.
Nick Meaney looks set to start off in the No.1 jersey while centre Reimis Smith (pectoral) will be back after missing most of last season.
In the forwards, the return of Christian Welch from a torn Achilles tendon offsets the loss of Jesse Bromwich at prop while Eliesa Katoa and are the likely candidates to replace the long-term second-row pairing of Felise Kaufusi and Kenny Bromwich.
Brandon Smith’s departure opens up a bench utility spot for Tyran Wishart to cover hooker and the backs after he had a promising start to his NRL career in 15 appearances.
1 Nick Meaney
2 Dean Ieremia
3 Reimis Smith
4 Grant Anderson
5 Xavier Coates
6 Cameron Munster
7 Jahrome Hughes
8 Christian Welch
9 Harry Grant
10 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
11 Eliesa Katoa
12 Trent Loiero
13 Josh King
Interchange
14 Tyran Wishart
15 Tepai Moeroa
16 Aaron Pene
17 Tui Kamikamica
Other squad members: Ryan Papenhuyzen, Tariq Sims, Marion Seve, George Jennings, Justin Olam (injured), Jayden Nikorima, Joe Chan, Jonah Pezet, Jordan Grant, Jack Howarth, Tom Eisenhuth, Alec MacDonald, Will Warbrick.
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