Storm mystery answered with Papenhuyzen’s replacement revealed

The Storm is set to be without Ryan Papenhuyzen for the start of the new NRL season, but it looks like they’ve settled on his replacement for the first few rounds.

Nick Meaney is set to play fullback for the Melbourne Storm. Picture: NRL Images

Ryan Papenhuyzen’s bombshell announcement that he still doesn’t know when he’ll return to the footy field leaves the Storm with a major selection headache heading into the new season.

But coach Craig Bellamy looks set to resist shifting Cameron Munster to fullback, like he did at the backend of the 2022 season, with the versatile Nick Meaney set to get first crack in the No.1 jersey.

Papenhuyzen only recently returned to Australia from a stint in the US where he’s been getting his body right after a horrible run of injuries, and he announced on Tuesday that in spite of the work, he has no return date locked in.

Ryan Papenhuyzen doing exercises in the US as part of his rehab program. Picture: Instagram

The decision to shift Meaney to the back frees Munster up to stay in the halves alongside Jahrome Hughes, something which hurt the Storm late in the year as they lacked a bit of creativity with the rep star out of the front line.

The Storm no longer has the safety blanket of putting Cooper Johns in the halves if necessary, with young gun Jonah Pezet not quite ready for the NRL.

It’s why Meaney is the leading candidate to play fullback where he’s also expected to kick goals – another area which hurt the Storm late in the season.

“He’s one of the best five-eighths in the world and I think that’s where he plays his best footy,” Storm prop Christian Welch told NCA NewsWire of Munster.

“We’ve got some really good options at the back. Nick Meaney has been fantastic for us. He can play so many positions for us and he’s a really good footballer with a set of wheels on him.

“He’s been training at fullback for basically the whole pre-season. We know Paps won’t get up for the start of the season, so I think Meaney will be there.

“The big premise is that we need Cameron Munster touching the ball a lot in all of our games. We need him running and taking the line on as much as possible.”

It looks like Munster won’t be moved to fullback like he was last year.

Melbourne’s back five remains somewhat of a mystery when everyone is fully fit, with Papenhuyzen guaranteed to play fullback, Xavier Coates on one wing and Justin Olam at left centre.

Reimis Smith should regain his right centre spot after back-to-back pec reconstructions ruined his 2022, while Meaney and George Jennings will compete for the other wing spot.

Smith has only been back at training for a few weeks and said he was glad Bellamy made the big calls, but he too feels that Munster should stay at five-eighth where he does his best work.

“Munster kills it in any position that he plays,” Smith said.

“If you put him at the back then he creates a spark in attack, but if you move him away from the left edge, then we lose the combination he has with ‘Juzzy’ (Olam).

“I feel with him playing on the left and Jahrome on the right, it gives the side so much control. If he goes to the back then he doesn’t have the chance to dominate on the left.

“I reckon he’ll stay at five-eighth and Nick will play fullback, but I’m sure Bellamy will make the right call.”

Nick Meaney is the favourite to play fullback for the Storm in Round 1. Picture: NRL Images

There is one other option at the back, with Welch heaping praise on teenager Sua Fa’alogo, who is signed until the end of next year.

Fa’alogo scored five tries in reserve grade last season and has caught the eye of his teammates at training.

“I don’t think we’ll see him in Round 1, but he’s an electric local Victorian kid who we need to sign for the next 10 years because he’s a phenomenal talent,” Welch said.

“I think he’s going to be a very good player for a very long time.”