Melbourne Storm to unleash Nelson Asofa-Solomona off the bench to tear into Cronulla Sharks

MELBOURNE Storm might have something horrible in store for Cronulla in Friday night’s preliminary final blockbuster — a 200cm, 130kg wrecking ball to be unleashed off the bench.

Look at the size of him! And he’s only 22! (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

A FULL-STRENGTH Melbourne Storm is toying with the option of deploying “Big Nasty” Nelson Asofa-Solomona off the bench in Friday night’s preliminary final blockbuster against Cronulla Sharks.

Asofa-Solomona has missed three matches — four weeks — with a high ankle sprain after going over late in the Round 22 loss to the Sharks.

The Kiwis enforcer starred in the explosive bench role last year but since the departure of Kangaroos prop Jordan McLean moved into the starting role.

LIVE BLOW: Rabbitohs take on the Dragons

MENTOR: Flanagan could make Cronulla history

TOUGH: Gallen’s race against time

Look at the size of him! And he’s only 22! (Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

The powerful prop Asofa-Solomona has already showed this season a capacity to impact games regardless of position.

The Storm usually rotate the props after 20-25 minutes of frenetic work, allowing hulking Asofa-Solomona to do maximum damage with the sting out of the crunch final.

Storm assistant coach Jason Ryles kept cards close to his chest when quizzed about how Asofa-Solomona would be used after the injury setback.

Asofa-Solomona can do a lot of damage in a short time. (AAP Image/Daniel Pockett)

“A lot of people forget that he’s 22 years -old, just because he’s six-foot seven and 130 kilograms,” Ryles said.

“He’s still maturing himself in his body and the way he plays footy, just working around the field.

“Experience is still coming for him, where he’s at, in this stage of development, we’re super happy.”

Bromwich has battled injuries all season. (Brett Costello)

Hardworking forwards Tim Glasby and Christian Welch have partnered fearsome pack leader Jesse Bromwich during Asofa-Solomona’s absence.

It hasn’t been easy for the pack, with Asofa-Solomona the latest to miss a chunk of games.

Storm premiership-winner Dale Finucane missed nine games early in the season, while Bromwich sat out seven in two separate stints battling knee and hamstring problems.

After playing every game last season, Queensland and Australian back-rower Felise Kaufusi has managed just 19 of a possible 25 appearances this time in due to injury and Origin commitments.

Retiring Storm champion Ryan Hoffman also missed games due to injury and soreness, while a thumb injury limited Glasby’s workload early in the season.

Storm recruit Sam Kasiano looks set to make way for Asofa-Solomona this week, having been in and out of the team due to injury and suspension.

Kasiano struggled to get a clean run at it early in the year when ankle and concussion issues limited his preparation before clumsy suspensions kept him out of contention.

Despite the early season setbacks, the Storm has emerged in preliminary final week with a clean bill of health and the best 17 available for selection.

Bellamy knows how to get Kaufusi going. (AAP Image/David Crosling)

But the pack is primed for another big final after bullying South Sydney into submission last Friday week.

After being “poked” by Craig Bellamy in the lead-up to the qualifying final, Kaufusi starred in the one-point win over the Bunnies, punctuated by his enormous hit on Souths captain Sam Burgess.

“Fuse is a pretty casual guy and I think having Craig Bellamy as his coach is really good for him because he doesn’t let him get away with too much,” Ryles said.

“When (Bellamy) senses… he’s starting to lean back in his seat a little he props him up and he certainly did that the other day, in front of everyone in the meeting, and Fuse responded.”

Get ready for cricket like never before. FREE Sport HD + Entertainment until the first 4K cricket ball as part of 3 months free on a 12 month plan. SIGN UP TODAY. T&Cs apply.

Originally published as Melbourne Storm to unleash Nelson Asofa-Solomona off the bench to tear into Cronulla Sharks