Melbourne Storm’s $10 million retention drive to keep star quartet amid poaching threat from expansion clubs

Melbourne are under siege for their best talent with the Perth Bears and PNG set to hit the player market. As a result, the Storm are ready to launch one of the richest retention drives in the club’s history.

The Storm have kicked off negotiations as part of a $10 million retention drive to keep superstar quartet Harry Grant, Xavier Coates, Jahrome Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen.

This masthead can reveal Melbourne have begun preliminary talks to prevent their ‘Awesome Foursome’ heading to free agency amid fears of big-money poaching threats from new expansion clubs Perth and Papua New Guinea.

Champion Storm halfback Hughes is a Bears target, Papenhuyzen has previously been linked with the Bulldogs, while Coates was born in PNG and would be the perfect poster boy for the introduction of the Pacific team in 2028.

Storm chiefs met with Hughes’ management in the lead-up to Friday night’s clash against the Cowboys as Melbourne move to retain the reigning Dally M Medallist.

On Thursday, the Storm pulled off a retention coup with the club securing Craig Bellamy for another 12 months in a move that will see the super coach call the shots at Melbourne in 2026.

Now Melbourne are ramping-up plans to ensure four of their big guns stay at the Storm for the long haul in the face of prospective raids from Perth and PNG.

The Storm have kicked off talks to extend stars Jahrome Hughes (front) and Ryan Papenhuyzen. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Grant, 27, Coates, 24, Hughes, 30, and Papenhuyzen, 26, are all off-contract at the end of next season, meaning the quartet will be available on the open market from November 1 this year.

That’s when Perth will become a viable competitor, with Mal Meninga, unveiled as the Bears’ foundation coach on Friday, having 12 months to sign 30 players for the NRL’s 18th team in 2027.

Mindful of the poaching threat, the Storm are getting ahead of the curve armed with one of the richest retention plans in Melbourne’s 27-year history.

Storm bosses are confident they have the salary-cap space to retain the big-name contingent despite Grant, Coates, Hughes and Papenhuyzen all set for upgrades on any new Melbourne deal.

PNG-born Xavier Coates is a target for the new Pacific NRL team. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

North Sydney director Billy Moore is a massive fan of Hughes and says the Bears should make the Kiwi Test halfback their No.1 recruitment target by paying him north of $1.5 million a season.

“Right now, Jahrome has to be rated one of the top five buys in the league,” Moore said.

“With two new clubs coming in supply needs to keep up and initially that will be difficult so a marquee player such as Jahrome Hughes becomes even more valuable.

“Jahrome is in the top three halfbacks in the game.

“He is 30 years old, but that’s not an issue when you consider Daly Cherry-Evans is 36, so Hughes could easily play for another five or six years.

Melbourne are keen to lock down one of the NRL’s premium hookers in Harry Grant. Picture: NRL Photos

“In an expansion NRL environment, his experience, individual brilliance and rugby league IQ makes him worth $1.5 million.

“The Bears need a premiership shot-caller from day one and Jahrome Hughes ticks that box, but Melbourne will do everything to keep him.”

Hughes is on around $830,000 this season, Coates is in the vicinity of $600,000, while Papenhuyzen ($900,000) and Maroons hooker Grant ($850,000) were among Melbourne’s top three earners in News Corp’s Rich 100 last year.

Three-year extensions for the foursome would represent an outlay of around $10m for the Storm, who already have one $1 million on their books in Cameron Munster ($1.15m).

Hughes turns 31 in October and says he is relishing being coached by Bellamy, who has again shelved retirement plans.

“He is such a great coach,” he said. “He is such a great mentor for all of our players. The longer he stays the better. I can’t see him hanging it up any time soon, he would get bored in his mansion.”