Christian Welch returns in Storm’s trial after missing all of 2022 through injury

After spending most of 2022 on his own recovering from a serious injury Storm co-captain Christian Welch is back.

Christian Welch of the Storm (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Christian Welch felt like a captain in name only last season as the Melbourne Storm prop ploughed into rehab on a season-ending Achilles injury feeling “detached” from the rest of the playing group.

The Round 1 injury was the disaster scenario, having twice suffered ACL injuries, Welch didn’t need as co-captain of the club and with big ambitions to mark his mark on the NRL.

But that was then and now, on the even of his football return in Storm’s opening trial match against the Sydney Roosters in Geelong on Sunday, Welch is “loving life”, albeit with some of the normal trepidation that comes with taking the step from the training track in to an official match.

“I’m loving life at the moment, to be honest it’s the best thing in the world,” he said during the week, buzzing with the sort of energy and enthusiasm which makes him the perfect candidate to resume his leadership role in 2023.

“We’ve only been practising and on the training field but it’s just the little things, I think that when they’re taken away from you and you have a serious injury, and you’re stuck in the mental asylum in the gym by yourself, doing calf raises all day, it makes you really appreciate the camaraderie I think of team sport.

Christian Welch injured his Achilles in Round 1 in 2022 (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

“So I’m really excited about this week, but I’m also a bit nervous obviously. It’s been about 12 months since I’ve played a game of footy and obviously there’s risks associated with it. But yeah, really excited to get out there and hopefully have a good long year ahead.”

Welch pushed hard to get back for Storm’s finals campaign last year, and when it didn’t happen, it was another blow piled on top of his already “frustrating” mental space.

Being a man of the people, the lonely gym sessions hit Welch hard and he felt like he had fallen away from the rest of the playing group, adding a mental challenge to his physical one.

“I felt detached from the group,” Welch said.

“It’s hard. You’re not in the meetings. You’re not travelling the team, you feel totally isolated.

“That’s something I pride myself on, care of the team and how passionate I am for the Storm and particularly how the boys go each weekend. I really felt detached from the group and probably my involvement suffered as a result.

“So it’s something I’m looking to really get back on top of and really get excited about being around all the guys again and I suppose helping out not only the guys and the 17 that play but the young boys coming through and being out there with them really helps during that circumstances.”

Christian Welch was co-captain with Jesse Bromwich, who has left the join the Dolphins. Picture: Alex Coppel.

That care for all at the club is why he wants to be captain again too, even it that means sharing the role with a strong group of emerging leaders set to fill the void left by a raft of departures, including Welch’s co-captain last year, Jesse Bromwich.

“Look, I’d love it,” he said of the captaincy.

“But I think, you know, Cameron Smith was our big figurehead. He was our big head honcho. You know, everyone just fell in behind him.

“But I think going forward, it’s not really just one person anymore. It’s such a I think it’s a good thing for us, it’s a flatter leadership model. We’ve got so many guys so much experience here. Probably got five or six guys who could be captain, but I think that’s the point.

“It’s everyone contributes and they’ve got their own personalities. Like Cameron Munster, he’s fantastic and he brings so much energy and he’ll bring that to us. Similar with Harry Grant who is a very smart guy thinks a lot about footy.

“So I think there’s so many different attributes that different guys bring with their personalities that I think as long as we’re all working together, I think whoever is going to get captaincy, they’re going to lean on a lot of the senior players here we’re going to be driving forward.”