Pack lets creative trio thrive

JESSE Bromwich 114kg, 194cm. Jordan McLean 115km, 196cm and Nelson Asofa- Solomona 115kg, 200cm

They are Melbourne’s other Big Three – the trio of monsters whose 344kg of forward muscle threatens to bash North Queensland into submission in tomorrow night’s NRL grand final.

W h i l e C a m e r o n Smith ( pictured), Billy Slater and C o o p e r Cronk are the brains, big boppers Br o mwich, McLean and Asofa- Solomona provide the brawn for Melbourne’s success.

The growth of Melbourne’s pack is no fluke. When the Storm were beaten twice by the Roosters during the 2014 season, skipper Cameron Smith met with coach Craig Bellamy and said Melbourne needed more muscle to win another premiership.

“We actually came up with a plan at the end of the 2014 season – Cam Smith was the instigator of it,” said long- serving Melbourne football- operations chief Frank Ponissi.

“He went to Craig Bellamy and myself and said that we needed a bigger pack.

“He … said we couldn’t compete for the premiership if we didn’t get bigger.”

After the Storm’s finals fadeout in 2014, Asofa- Solomona was poached from rugby union and blooded in the NRL.

McLean was also given more responsibility for the 2015 campaign after two seasons of development on the interchange bench.

“We found Nelson in New Zealand,” Ponissi said.

“Craig ( Bellamy) brought him over and the first thing we noticed was his size.

“Even as a teenager, he was built like a man mountain,” he said.