Prop Christian Welch will lead Melbourne this NRL season while former bad boy Cameron Munster is among his deputies.
Welch was co-captain with Jesse Bromwich last year however spent all but one game on the sidelines after rupturing his Achilles in the opening round.
With Bromwich departing for the Dolphins, 28-year-old Welch will be the sole skipper, following in the foot-steps of club legend Cameron Smith who retired in 2020.
Munster and his halves partner Jahrome Hughes, as well as young hooker Harry Grant are his vice-captains.
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It’s a turnaround for Munster, who was cut from the side’s leadership group twice, most recently in late 2021 after being filmed partying post-season with white powder.
Having played 118 games at Melbourne since 2015, with his career also interrupted by two serious knee injuries, Welch was part of the Storm’s 2020 premiership-winning team and also featured in the 2016 and 2018 grand finals.
Storm boss Justin Rodski said Welch fully deserved the opportunity to lead the club as Melbourne’s first solo captain since Smith’s retirement.
“Christian has risen through the ranks at Storm since he first came to the club as a young man from Queensland,” Rodski said in a statement.
“As well as being a leader on the field, he is heavily involved in the game off the field, showing a great awareness of the positive differences the game can make in our community.
“We saw a great example of that earlier this year when he instigated a head shaving fundraiser which contributed $25,000 to Camp Quality.”
Melbourne’s Round 1 prospects next Thursday away to Parramatta have been dealt a massive blow with star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen joining Justin Olam and three other key players out of action.
Papenhuyzen is likely to miss the first couple of months of the season due to his fractured kneecap from last season, Olam broke his arm in the first week of the trials, while George Jennings (illness), Tariq Sims (calf) and Marion Seve (knee) are also unavailable.
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