STORM TO DO IT FOR CAPTAIN
CAMERON Smith risks retiring with only two NRL premierships from more than a decade of dominance unless Melbourne can find a way to rectify its finals wobbles.
The skipper is expected to call time on his career after his 19th season, with the Storm hopeful it can stop a worrying trend in the finals and send him out a winner in October. Melbourne played in successive grand finals — 2016, 2017 and 2018 — only winning in 2017, before falling at the preliminary final hurdle last year with two successive losses after being a runaway minor premier.
Coach Craig Bellamy said his team had discussed last year’s finals’ capitulation during the preseason.
“We touched a bit on that but we touched on other things that happened during the year as well,” Bellamy said.
“We don’t just throw all the good stuff out.
“The finals got mentioned a couple of times but now we’re focused on what we need to do this year and hopefully we can follow those plans through.”
He said Smith, 36, who won titles in 2012 and 2017, was still in great shape, physically and mentally.
He said Smith’s captaincy and NRL career would continue as long as he wanted.
“He’s come back really keen and ready to go,” the veteran coach said.
“We have some wonderful leaders in Jesse (Bromwich) and Dale (Finucane), but while ever Cameron is still keen to captain we want him to.”
Experienced duo Bromwich and Finucane spearhead a formidable forward pack that should lay the platform for another premiership assault.
Christian Welch will return from an ACL injury while big things are expected of young gun Tino Fa’asuamaleaui before he joins Gold Coast in 2021.
Star wingers Josh AddoCarr and Suliasi Vunivalu also made shock off-season announcements that this will be their final season at the Storm.
Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes reunite in the halves and Bellamy has seen the partnership develop in the off-season.
“There’s been some good signs at training,” he said.
The biggest change comes in the centres with veteran Will Chambers departing to play rugby in Japan and Curtis Scott gone to Canberra.
Justin Olam made a statement in Melbourne’s final preseason trial win over North Queensland with a big performance to cement one centre spot, with Bellamy to decide between Marion Seve and Titans recruit Brenko Lee for the right side.
“We’ve lost those centres and that’s taken a little bit of patching up,” he said.
“It’s going to be hard to pick between ‘Maz’ (Seve) and Brenko. Both the guys have done a pretty good job so it will come down to who we think will serve us best there but I’ve been happy with them.”