Storm shaken with duo joining Hughes on sidelines
Jasper Bruce |
Melbourne’s NRL premiership tilt has been rocked as key duo Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Ryan Papenhuyzen prepare to join Jahrome Hughes on the sidelines during finals.
Premiership favourites before Thursday’s loss to Brisbane, the Storm are likely to lose Asofa-Solomona for the entire finals series after his high shot on Ben Talty resulted in a three-game ban.
Assuming he accepts an early guilty plea, the only way the prop will play again this year is if the Storm lose their qualifying final against Canterbury and then make the grand final.
If he were to unsuccessfully challenge the charge, Asofa-Solomona would miss four games, guaranteeing he would sit out of the entire finals series.
Papenhuyzen will miss the first week of the finals after coming off worse for wear in a collision with Brisbane’s Josiah Karapani.
Melbourne confirmed the gun fullback failed a head injury assessment, meaning he will be completing concussion protocols when the Storm host Canterbury next week.
It marks Papenhuyzen’s second concussion in a month, and he will need to shake off symptoms in order to line up in their second finals match.
He notably missed 10 weeks with lingering concussion symptoms in the 2021 season.
Asofa-Solomona and Papenhuyzen’s absences came as Melbourne booked reigning Dally M Medallist Hughes in for scans on a fractured forearm.
Hughes had been playing his first game back from a shoulder injury when he left the field with a fresh issue during the first half at Suncorp Stadium.
The halfback is set to consult with a surgeon about his recovery plan, but coach Craig Bellamy indicated at fulltime that his season was likely over.
A long ban looms as a disappointing end to a poor campaign for Asofa-Solomona, who also missed last year’s grand final loss to Penrith through suspension.
Despite his underwhelming form this year, Asofa-Solomona remains integral to the Storm’s forward pack and his absence is set to frustrate Bellamy.
“I’m not quite sure what’s going to happen with it (at the match review committee), but it’s disappointing. It’s disappointing,” Bellamy said after the Storm’s second consecutive defeat.
NSW representative Stefano Utoikamanu is the likeliest man to replace Asofa-Solomona in the 17 next week after being rested for round 27.
Nick Meaney and Sua Fa’alogo have both replaced Papenhuyzen at fullback during the 27-year-old’s unfortunate run of injuries in recent seasons.
Jonah Pezet and Tyran Wishart are the leading options to replace Hughes.
AAP
