Melbourne Storm 2019 season preview

Losing the Test halfback in Cooper Cronk – the long-term conductor of the Melbourne Storm orchestra - but still making it to a second straight grand final marked a successful season by any measure.

Winning as many games (16) as Cronk helped engineer over at new club the Roosters in 2018 also proved the resilience of the Storm.

Now for the hard part. Storm have to try and do it all over again – plug another gaping hole.

Jarome Hughes will have all eyes on him as he steps into one of the most difficult pair of boots to fill for anyone in rugby league – taking over the No.1 jersey from Australia and Queensland great Billy Slater.

When Storm lost Cronk as their No.7, at least they still had Cameron Munster still pulling the strings.

But Hughes will be on his lonesome at fullback as he tries to forge his own style away. He inherits the jersey of a man who changed the face of fullback-work in both attack and defence.

Munster may yet want to have a lash atfullback, since he loves the position and got Storm to an earlier grand final (2016) with the No.1 on his back. Slater was injured that year.

Scott Drinkwater is another who could figure in the fullback discussion.

But coach Craig Bellamy will be reluctant to shift Munster, who now also wears the No.6 on his back for both Queensland and Australia.

So, again the Storm spine is unsettled at the start of new Telstra Premiership year ... but given what transpired in 2018 that's not necessarily a yardstick to the team's success.

The 2019 outlook

What's new

Well to be perfectly frank, not much.

For a second straight year, the Storm have lost valuable knowledge and experience. Heading into 2018 they were without Cronk, Tohu Harris, and Jordan McLean.

Things haven't greatly improved in that department as Storm head into 2019 without Slater and Ryan Hoffman – that's 644 NRL games combined right there.

Then you throw in two highly competent players in Tim Glasby (Newcastle) and Ryley Jacks (Titans) and you'd expect some incoming talent.

However, there are no signings of NRL notoriety, so any new faces will be those continuing their rise up through the Melbourne system ...  like utility back Ryan Papenhuyzen, half Billy Waters, or forwards Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Fijian Tui Kamikamica.

The draw

The good news is the Storm get two chances to extract a morsel of revenge for the 2018 Telstra Premiership grand final loss to the Sydney Roosters.

They host the Roosters at AAMI Park in round six (April 19) before the now-annual Adelaide Oval game in round 15 (June 28).

The Roosters are on the nine clubs Storm plays twice this year. They face six clubs just once – Panthers, Eels, Wests Tigers, Knights, Dragons and Rabbitohs.

Since the Stormare one of the more well-travelled teams in the NRL, players and fans will be pleased that three of the final four rounds of the regular competition are at home.

The stat that gives you hope

Cameron Smith won't be retiring this year.

The skipper signed a two-year extension in January which takes him through to the end of 2020. Smith also had a career-best year with the boot in 2018 topping the NRL with 98 goals – four ahead of Gareth Widdop (Dragons).

Smith is also responsible for Storm leading the NRL in 2018 in dummy-half runs, or 372 overall to be exact, almost 20 better than the Rabbitohs (356).

So getting Storm on the front foot in attack once again provides a lot of comfort.

The fact Storm were 8-4 at home and 8-4 away means they travel well and are not easily intimidated when on the road.

They've lost plenty of experience, but the Storm forward pack remains a force to contend with. Jesse Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Felise Kaufusi, Kenny Bromwich, Christian Welch, Joe Stimson and Dale Finucane comprise a very-handy pack.

What you need to know NRL Fantasy-wise

Cameron Smith ($894,000) was toppled as Fantasy's premier player by Damien Cook last year but could rise again with even more playmaking responsibilities following the retirement of Billy Slater.

Slater's absence could also translate to more scoring opportunities for Cameron Munster ($667,000) and Brodie Croft ($561,000), while Joe Stimson ($416,000) will be a steal if he continues the 80-minute role in the second row he earned last season.

The coach

He may have reluctantly entered his 60s last year, but Bellamy is still the coach every NRL club would be after he came on the market. He is a four-time Dally M coach of the year winner.

The Broncos tempted him in 2018 before he re-signed in June for another three years.

The fact Storm has made the NRL finals every year except for one (2010 salary cap penalties) under his tenure means Bellamy's message never grows stale.

Leading a team to eight grand finals in 11 years gives you a certain superstar status.

So while CEO Dave Donaghy and chairman Bart Campbell work with their football department to ease the burden of the "big three" bowing out (Cronk, Slater and Smith), they are probably preparing a succession plan for Bellamy.

Then again, he will only be 63 when his new contract expires in 2021 – Wayne Bennett just turned 69 in January – so Bellamy might not be ready to move on just yet.

Contract matters

The bigger names like Addo-Carr, Suliasi Vunivalu, Will Chambers, Munster, Smith, Asofa-Solomona and Felise Kaufusi are all locked up beyond 2019.

But workhorses in Welch and Stimson are among half-a-dozen off this year.

The real puzzle for Storm is 2020 when the club has 16 players off contract including Brodie Croft, Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Chambers, Vunivalu, and possibly Smith's retirement.

The burning question

The Storm only had one week outside the top-eight – round five when they were ninth  - in 2018. For the other 24 rounds, they held their position inside the top half of the ladder.

However, they did spend 10 weeks outside the top-four, or nearly half the season, before cementing a place in there from round 16 onwards.

The last time Storm didn't make the top-four was 2014 (6th) but could 2019 see a return to that strange territory?

Is losing players of the calibre of Cronk and Slater in consecutive years going to finally catch up with Storm considering they have not recruited a specialist halfback or fullback in that time?

Remember how key the No.7 and No.1 players are to your attacking spine. 

Representative bolter

Injuries to the NSW squad could give Dale Finucane (19th man in Origin III) or Curtis Scott (Emerging Blues) a chance in Brad Fittler's 2019 team.

The same goes for Christian Welch in the Queensland forward pack, after his 18th man appearance last series.

And if anything happened to Daly Cherry-Evans at No.7 for the Maroons, Brodie Croft would be willing to step in and play alongside his club halves partner in Munster, although Michael Morgan (Cowboys) might have a say in all that.

The player you should follow on social media

Dale Finucane hits hard in defence but shows a softer side on his social media accounts - holiday destinations, friends, his wedding and playing his guitar.

The quote

"At this organisation it is all about being selfless and making sure you're thinking of the club and not always looking out for yourself." – skipper Cameron Smith.

Arrows indicate players who signed after the submission of initial rosters on November 1, 2018.