NRL 2024: Storm launch ‘Made for Melbourne’ season campaign, Christian Welch backs Ryan Papenhuyzen to bounce back

Storm forward Christian Welch says the proud club will get honest with themselves this pre-season while admitting Craig Bellamy faces a massive call to pick his fullback for 2024.

Ryan Papenhuyzen will breathe new life into a Melbourne Storm side that plans to be brutally honest with themselves ahead of the 2024 season.

That’s the opinion of respected prop Christian Welch, who is on his own mission to prove the Storm have the forward pack to match heavyweights Penrith and Brisbane.

The Storm finished the 2023 regular season in third position.

They then bombed out of the finals race 38-4 in their preliminary final loss to eventual premiers the Panthers. Commentators reviewing Melbourne’s season shone a spotlight on the Storm’s lack of power in their pack.

Welch was hurting more than others, having been demoted to the bench for the side’s last two finals matches, having started in the front-row in the team’s previous 23 matches.

Melbourne Storm launch their 2024 campaign, which they've dubbed "Made for Melbourne" as the Storm adopt an "us v them" mentality for next season. Melbourne Storm players (L-R) Josh King, Christian Welch, Xavier Coates, and Nick Meaney. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Welch, a Queensland State of Origin player, said nobody is more driven to improve on 2023, than himself.

“You look at the way the season ended, getting benched, I’m certainly motivated to get back to where I was performing for the Storm and where I was getting a couple of games for Queensland, that’s certainly where I want to get back too,” Welch said.

“I played 25-games but it probably wasn’t the year I wanted to have as far as an individual performance.

“I love this club and am proud, so you obviously want to be starting, I’m motivated to have a big pre-season and try and get back to some better form than the year I had.

“We worked really hard to get to third, but the reality is we played the Broncos and Penrith and we scored one try and got touched up pretty badly.

“We weren’t at the Broncos and Panthers level, there was a clear gap to the top two and the rest of the comp.

“Clearly we need to improve and the point of this pre-season is to catch those two sides that are pretty far out in front.

“This club is built on working hard and so we’ll be really honest with each other this pre-season and get down to work.”

Welch can’t wait to see Ryan Papenhuyzen back in action in 2024, after he missed most of the 2023 season due to injury. Picture: NRL Photos

One player in particular Welch said he couldn’t wait to see return was Papenhuyzen.

The outstanding fullback is currently in the US working with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles in a bid to get his body right.

Papenhuyzen’s comeback from a shocking knee injury was one of the feel-good stories of last season.

But the comeback didn’t last long, with the fullback suffering a gruesome ankle injury against the Broncos in the finals.

“We’ll get a bit of help with hopefully Papenhuyzen coming back. He’s such an important guy to our squad, he’ll give us a boost,” Welch said.

“But at the same time Nick Meaney was also phenomenal and (rookie fullback) Sua Faalogo showed in the International Tests that he’s got a bright future.

Papenhuyzen does face competition for the fullback position, with Sua Faalogo and Nick Meaney other options. Picture: Jason Edwards

“Lucky its above my pay grade to make those kind of decisions, just how you fit those three guys in.

“It’s a good headache for the coaches to have.”

Welch is also a face of the Storm’s 2024 marketing campaign ‘Made for Melbourne’.

The ‘Made for Melbourne’ campaign will run throughout the 2024 season, celebrating what makes the club’s home, the city of Melbourne and wider Victorian community, and the Melbourne Storm unique.

“It celebrates our members who have been there from day one and what they’ve done to make our club what it is,” Welch said.

“It’s about the passion of the Purple Army, the pioneer players and how they shaped the club in the early days, our current squad who are making a start to our preparations for 2024 and remembering the big moments that have made memories for our members and fans.”

Originally published as NRL 2024: Storm launch ‘Made for Melbourne’ season campaign, Christian Welch backs Ryan Papenhuyzen to bounce back