While all the focus has been on Ryan Papenhuyzen’s pre-season trip to the US to get his body right, there’s another member of the Storm backline quietly plotting a return to the field after a horror run of injuries in 2022.
Melbourne started last season with eight wins from the opening nine rounds but managed just seven more victories from the remaining 15 regular season games after Reimis Smith suffered his first serious pec tear of the year.
The reliable right centre had formed a potent partnership with Jahrome Hughes and Xavier Coates on that edge, with the trio regularly making breaks from anywhere on the field.
But on the same day Papenhuyzen suffered a hamstring injury against the Dragons, Smith came off the field after 11 minutes and wouldn’t return for the rest of the season.
