LATEST NEWS: His return is shocking

As part of an ongoing series highlighting the anticipated Round 1 lineups for each of the 17 NRL clubs in 2024, it’s time to find out if Craig Bellamy can win one more Victoria title before he hangs up his boots.

If Craig Bellamy wants the Storm to have any chance of upending Penrith’s growing dynasty in what may be his final season as coach, he needs Ryan Papenhuyzen back on the field and at his peak.

Although the Storm performed admirably in the previous campaign, they lacked the offensive dynamism to ever truly threaten the Panthers as the premiership standard.

After breaking his leg late in the previous season, Papenhuyzen is back on the comeback track. He traveled back to the US in December to resume working with conditioning guru Bill Knowles.

On Tuesday, he gave encouraging news, stating that he is eager to complete a trial and is certain he will be correct for Round 1.

“I believe that I could be engaging in a trial game,” Papenhuyzen stated to Nine News. “I believe I was a little overwhelmed with emotion and disappointment—I mean, really, who have I let down again? I doubt it helped that I could see my foot that way.

“I have this overpowering belief that I can (return to my best), even though it’s definitely not natural. I don’t know whether that’s as a result of all the introspection I’ve done during my absence, but it doesn’t seem unreasonable.

Melbourne actually only brought in one new player this season because of their all-star team, which leaves limited room for maneuvering inside the salary ceiling.

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As part of the Justin Olam trade, they added Tigers forward Shawn Blore one year ahead of planned.

Sualauvi Fa’alogo, a budding star, can provide the Storm with a fresh offensive danger out wide, as demonstrated in his lone NRL game late in the previous season. He won’t likely start in the starting lineup for Round 1, but he might be thrust into the spotlight once more early in the campaign as a bench player or, in the event that an outside back injury strikes, as a starter.

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