The Melbourne Storm coach is navigating a number of tough setbacks heading into the opening round.
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy is facing a number of setbacks ahead of the season opener with Ryan Papenhuyzen and Jahrome Hughes in doubt. Bellamy has never lost the opening game of the NRL season as Melbourne coach but the latest to two of his stars will place this record at risk.
The Storm will field an understrength backline against the Cowboys with Papenhyuzyen potentially out for a number of weeks with his latest injury. Papenhuyzen has faced plenty of setbacks in recent years having returned from a number of horrible leg injuries.
But Bellamy confirmed the fullback might not return to action until round three when the Storm play the Penrith Panthers in a grand final rematch. The Storm have a bye in round two and might opt not to risk the 27-year-old with his history of injures.
Papenhuyzen is a big loss to for Bellamy with the fullback attempting to put a string of games together to prove his injury setbacks are behind him. But Papenhuyzen isn’t the only star in doubt for round one. The Storm’s best player last year, Hughes, is battling a calf complaint.
Bellamy is confident Hughes will be right for their first round clash in two weeks, but his absence has curtailed the Storm’s pre-season training. Hughes has an extensive history with calf issues with the latest setback his eighth in the last five years. And the pre-season interruptions won’t help Bellamy who is putting a remarkable record on the line again in 2025.
The veteran coach has never lost the opening round of the NRL as Melbourne’s coach. He is currently on 21 straight wins and will hope to extend that to 22 when they take on the Parramatta Eels in round one. The Eels have shown mixed form in the pre-season challenge having gone down to the Wests Tigers on Friday night. Mitchell Moses is also carrying an injury heading into round one with Jason Ryles set to make a call on his star halfback.
Cameron Munster returns for Craig Bellamy
While Papenhuyzen and Hughes remain a doubt, star five-eighth Cameron Munster and Nick Meaney both appear set to get some time on the field. While it was expected they wouldn’t return until round one, Bellamy appears keen to give them some match practice ahead of their return to AAMI Park in two weeks time.
The coach admitted his outfit were trying to perfect a few tactics ahead of their opening game. “You’re always a little bit jumpy. This is the last game before the competition starts, so we’re trying to get a few things right,” Bellamy said of their last pre-season challenge game.
“Hopefully we can have a good trial, and hopefully we can do some things that we’ve practised during the pre-season, and get those things right and go from there.” Stefano Utoikamanu will feature in his second game for the Storm with the new recruit looking to make his mark.
Melbourne Storm enter 2025 NRL season as favourites
The Storm enter the new season as the favourites with Utoikamanu adding to the club’s front-row stocks. The finalists from last year pose arguably the best spine in the game with Harry Grant, Hughes, Papenhuyzen and Munster proving to be dynamite when on form.
And SEN Radio commentator Matt Russell backed the Storm to go one step further in 2025 and win the premiership. “I’ll go Stefano Utoikamanu (as the signing of the year),” Russell said on SEN Radio last week. “(He) played every single game for the Tigers last year, career-high numbers.
“Under Bellamy I think he’ll improve even more and when I’m going best buy well what do the Melbourne Storm do with Stefano Utoikamanu? I think they go from grand finalists to premiership winners.”
