Pene returns to Melbourne

Author: melbournestorm.com.au
Timestamp: Wed 12 Oct 2022, 08:25 AM

Melbourne Storm player #207 Aaron Pene will return to the club on a two-year contract, boosting the club’s forward stocks ahead of the 2023 NRL season.

A late developer at first grade level, Pene originally joined Storm from the CQ Capras midway through the 2019 season and made his NRL debut against St George Illawarra at the end of the 2020 season.

He played nine games for Storm in 2021 before taking up a contract with the NZ Warriors where he played 14 NRL matches in the recently completed season.

Pene’s 2022 season also featured five games for Redcliffe in the Hostplus Cup.

The 27-year-old will re-join Storm to start pre-season training on November 7.

The return of Pene will bolster the Storm roster which will see the return of 2022 co-captain, Christian Welch, from a year-long injury layoff and the extension of contracts for forwards Trent Loiero and Alec MacDonald.

He joins Tariq Sims (St George Illawarra), Eli Katoa (NZ Warriors) and Joe Chan (Catalans Dragons) as the new forwards in Storm’s top 30 squad for the upcoming season.