2022 Preview: Melbourne Storm

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Our club preview series today looks at four-time premiers Melbourne. Lachy MacCorquodale casts his eye how they're tracking heading into the 20th season under coach Craig Bellamy.

Can the Melbourne Storm return to the peak of their powers in 2022?

It was a disappointing end to the Melbourne Storm's impressive 2021 season, bowing out in the Preliminary Finals to the eventual premiers, the Penrith Panthers.

It wasn't a shock result, but it was startling to see the Storm restricted to just one try after scoring 815 points over the course of the home and away season, the second most of all time.

Why they'll win it

It's the Melbourne Storm. The powerhouse club has finished in the top two in each of the past six seasons and have participated in the Grand Final in four of those seasons. They have easily been the best club in the NRL over the past 20 years and with Craig Bellamy still at the helm, you could expect a similar result. The Storm still boast one of the best spines in the game and I'm sure no team in the competition is looking forward to seeing Ryan Papenhuyzen, Cameron Munster, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant line up against them. Unfortunately, over the course of last season, injuries affected all but Hughes' season as he was the only member of this Storm spine to appear in over 20 matches. If they can remain unaffected by injuries over the course of this season, they'll be a bloody hard team to stop based on their spine alone.

The Storm boasted the best attack (33.96 points/g) and the second best defence (11.9 points/g) during the 2021 season. It'd be hard to imagine that the Storm could replicate those 34 points scored a game, but they've got plenty of wiggle room as they conceded on average 20 less points than they scored per game. Even if their attack and defence were to slightly deteriorate in 2022, they'd still be one of the best teams in the competition.

A few will say that the loss of Josh Addo-Carr, Nicho Hynes and Dale Finucane will hamper the Storm this season, but this club has historically succeeded with their ‘next man up' philosophy. There haven't been many instances where the Storm have ‘missed' a player after their departure from Melbourne. Combine this with a determination to ensure that 2021 doesn't repeat itself, and you're looking at a dangerous team.

Why they won't

The main reason for the Melbourne Storm not winning in 2022 lies in their Preliminary Final exit from last season. After wiping the floor with the competition over the course of 25 rounds, the Storm struggled to conjure up points against the Penrith Panthers, despite averaging just shy of 34 points scored per game. The Panthers were the best defensive side in the competition last year, and they proved this in the Preliminary Final, holding the Storm to just six points even with just 46% of the possession. The Panthers frustrated the Storm with their strong defence, which saw Melbourne make a total of 16 errors in the match, six more than their season average.

The Panthers also prevailed against the Storm by two points earlier in the season, signifying that the Penrith defence may just be too good for the Storm to crack. The Storm only managed to score three tries in their two matches against the Panthers and this will no doubt be the focus of the Melbourne Storm off-season. If they can't figure out how to breakdown the Panthers' defence, then it could be a second straight season without a premiership trophy for the Storm.

Key players

The stellar spine features the key players to any success that the Storm have throughout the 2022 season. Firstly, Cameron Munster, entering his ninth season with the Storm starts to enter the ‘prime' age for players in his position. The 151-gamer scored seven tries and assisted 13 in his 20 appearances last year, whilst running for a career-high (at five-eighth) 113 metres per game. The 27-year-old will be disappointed with the end to his season and after getting himself into some off-season trouble, the Queenslander will no doubt be ready to fire. If fit, the former Wally Lewis Medallist could be a chance to pick up the Dally M Player of the Year award if all goes well.

Munster's partnership has blossomed with Jahrome Hughes ever since the former fullback pulled on the number seven jersey for the Storm. Hughes, also 27, had the best season of his career in 2021, scoring nine tries and assisting 19 in his 24 appearances. No one could've seen this transformation coming as the Kiwi turned himself into one of the best number sevens in the game. Hughes also ran for 109 metres per game, and last year we saw how dangerous these two running halves can be when they're able to take advantage of opposition defences. Incredibly, the halfback has won 66 of his 82 appearances for the Storm at a baffling 80%-win rate. Playing for the Storm has its perks.

To think that these two star halves will be receiving passes from one of the best number nines in the game today is a scary thought, and this player arguably has the most room for growth this season. 24-year-old Harry Grant has only played 32 matches in the NRL thus far, after injuries saw him feature in 15 of his sides 26 games last season. This didn't stop the dummy-half from making an impact. Grant scored five tries and assisted a further nine over the course of last season, despite only starting in three matches' last season. Grant split time at the number nine with Brandon Smith last season, who had a magnificent season in his own right, but with Smith heading to the Roosters for the 2023 season, you'd expect Grant will be wearing the number nine jersey for the course of the season.

Playing a mix of dummy-half and lock in 2021, Smith had an incredible season scoring 11 tries in his 24 outings, whilst running for 96 metres. Smith will most likely be running out in the 13 jersey this season and as always will be a handful for opposition defences, particularly when they're defending their own line, where Smith is at his most dangerous.

Finally - credit to the Storm for having so many good players - Ryan Papenhuyzen will be ready to rip and tear in their round 1 clash against his junior club, the Wests Tigers. A breakout 2020, followed by an injury plagued 2021 which saw him miss out on an Origin debut gives the 23-year-old every reason to come out firing. Despite appearing in only 15 matches, the fullback still managed to score 14 tries and assist a further six as he helped take the Storm to yet another minor premiership. You could take about this group of players for days, but it's even better to watch these stars play. With these players at Craig Bellamy's disposal, it makes Melbourne one of the favourites to lift the Provan-Summons Trophy come October.

Rookie to watch

Earlier this year, Jack Howarth reportedly signed a deal worth $2.5 million, keeping him at the club till 2027. This is an extraordinary contract for a 19-year-old who is yet to make his NRL debut. The back rower/centre made five appearances for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup last season. He averaged 87 metres per game and broke on average two tackles a game. There's not a great deal we know about Howarth but given that he was awarded with this contract by the Melbourne Storm, we can assume that the kid can play. I wouldn't imagine he'd break into the starting side this year but look out for Howarth to appear on the bench throughout the season.

Another player to watch at Melbourne in 2022 is Xavier Coates. Still just 20 years of age, Coates has played 32 games for the Brisbane Broncos, scoring 17 times and has incredibly represented Queensland on five occasions. He's by no means a rookie, but he could be in for a breakout season turning into one of the better wingers in the comp. It's a story we've seen with the likes of Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo-Carr in the past and I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again for Coates. The 194cm winger, averaged 107 run metres, scoring 11 times in his 17 appearances. Solid numbers, but you can expect these to rise with his time in Melbourne.

Player Movements

Inbound: Xavier Coates (Brisbane), Nick Meaney (Canterbury), Josh King (Newcastle), Jayden Nikorima (Redcliffe), William Warbrick (rugby union)

Outbound: Josh Addo-Carr, Max King (Canterbury), Dale Finucane, Nicho Hynes (Cronulla), Aaron Pene (Warriors), Brenko Lee (Broncos), Aaron Booth (Gold Coast), Ryley Jacks (Bne Tigers (QRL)), Isaac Lumelume, Daniel Atkinson, Judda Turahui, Tyson Smoothy (released)

Best 17

1. Ryan Papenhuyzen
2. Xavier Coates
3. Justin Olam
4. Reimis Smith
5. George Jennings
6. Cameron Munster
7. Jahrome Hughes
8. Christian Welch
9. Harry Grant
10. Jesse Bromwich
11. Felise Kaufusi
12. Kenny Bromwich
13. Brandon Smith
    
14. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
15. Tui Kamikamica
16. Josh King
17. Tom Eisenhuth

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