RedZed Report: Round 16

The fortnightly RedZed Report, bringing you updates direct from Storm HQ about our injury list, club news and all things footy.

Injury Update

The good news first: our Origin reps reported no injury concerns following Origin II. Still a few guys on the sidelines heading into round 16 - Football Operations Coordinator Ryan Hoffman gives us an update.

Tom Eisenhuth (dislocated elbow)

Sidelined since: Round 15

A stalwart of this injury list, Tom dislocated his elbow during our round 15 match.

"You could see he was in a fair bit of pain, the poor guy," Hoffman said.

"He was alright once they put the elbow back in and he doesn't require surgery.

"He is getting some more scans to determine his time out."

Harry Grant (hamstring strain)

Sidelined since: Round 15

Harry also left the field during our last game with a hamstring issue.

"It's a low grade injury for Harry," Hoffman said. "We expect he will be out for 2-3 weeks."

Reimis Smith (ankle)

Sidelined since: Round 15

It was a horror night for injuries in round 15; our third casualty was Reimis who didn't return to the field after he rolled his ankle while scoring his second try.

"He's touch and go for this week," Hoff said.

"We will re-assess as we get closer."

Brandon Smith (calf)

Sidelined since: Round 15

No need to stress about this one according to Hoff and Cheese himself.

"As Brandon said after the match, there was a bit of grade three carry on," Hoffman said.

"He was taken off more as a precautionary action - he only had a calf cork."

Jesse Bromwich (elbow)

Sidelined since: Round 14

Jesse was rested in round 15 due to an ongoing elbow issue. 

"He should be sweet for the Roosters game," Hoff said.

Kenny Bromwich (ribs)

Sidelined since: Round 13

Kenny hasn't played since he copped a big hit in our game against the Titans.

He had his ribs injected with a pain killer last week to see if he could play through his injury but it wasn't effective.

"We expect he will play in round 17," Hoff said.

Ryan Papenhuyzen (concussion)

Sidelined since: Round 10

Paps has returned to full training but the healing process after a concussion isn't linear.

"Although I'd love to give an update about when I'll be back playing, this is just one of those injuries where I'm not able to do that," Paps said in a note shared on Twitter.

"The club has been great, treating this with caution and going above and beyond to provide the best treatment and information for me.

"Missing footy games and not being able to be myself is frustrating for me and the people close to me... hopefully back out there soon."

Max King (achilles)

Sidelined since: January 2021

Max is making slow progress after a number of setbacks during his rehab (following off-season surgery). Still no expected return date yet.

Ryley Jacks (ankle)

Sidelined since: Round 14

Another player who has been in the wars this season, Jacksy injured his ankle during our ISC feeder club clash. Scans confirmed his ankle isn't broken, but he will spend another few weeks on the sidelines.

Round 16 preview

A win for Storm on Thursday night will be Melbourne's 13th consecutive victory. We have scored more than 40 points in seven of our last nine matches, for an average of 42 points per match. The Roosters are coming off a 38-12 loss to Penrith and are in need of a win to stay in touch with the top four.

For the Roosters, Sam Walker will likely return in the halves, with Joey Manu returning to the centres and bumping out Joseph Suaalii.

Club news

Meaney signs on with Storm

Melbourne Storm has added to its 2022 NRL squad by signing Nick Meaney from the Canterbury Bulldogs.

The 23-year-old, who has played a total of 55 NRL matches for the Bulldogs and Newcastle Knights, has agreed to a two-year contract, and will join Storm at the start of the 2022 pre-season.

His ability to play a number of positions in the backline is definitely a plus and we’ve had outstanding feedback on his work ethic and character. We believe that not only will Storm be good for his football, having him at AAMI Park will be good for us.

Frank Ponissi Storm General Manager - Football

Storm and NRL Victoria launch Storm Junior League

A new partnership between Melbourne Storm and NRL Victoria will see all junior rugby league competitions across the state (from Under 6 to Under 12) rebranded as the ‘Storm Junior League’.

We hope that by working with NRL Victoria, we can see more people connected to their local clubs whether playing, coaching, refereeing or running the canteen and then, of course, finding the time to watch Storm at AAMI Park!

Justin Rodski Storm CEO

Cam Smith voted rugby league's greatest captain

Every great team in the history of our game has boasted a great leader, but standing above them all is Captain Cam, who has been voted rugby league's standout skipper.

Smith polled 38 per cent of the vote to beat home another legendary Queenslander Wally Lewis (12 per cent) with Mal Meninga, Arthur Beetson and Provan tied for third.