The Melbourne Storm and Dolphins have agreed to an immediate switch of clubs for Oryn Keeley just 48 hours out from the NRL's in-season player movement deadline.
Keeley, a second-rower, had already confirmed he would move to the Storm from the start of the 2027 season on a two-year deal, but will now add the remainder of 2026 to his time in the Victorian capital.
The 23-year-old came highly rated to the Dolphins in 2023, and had a career-best year last season, playing 16 games for what was an injury-ravaged Dolphins outfit.
He has managed another six games so far this year, including making starting appearances in two of the last three games for the Redcliffe-based outfit, although he didn't play against the New Zealand Warriors on the weekend.
It means his last game for Kristian Woolf's side came in Round 16 against the Wests Tigers.
He departs the Dolphins having made 28 appearances for the club, with the club to the north of Brisbane now able to move around some of their salary cap and free up space for the coming years by forward paying deals this year.
Melbourne have been attempting to secure the forward for some time, with the club desperately trying to stay in the mix for the finals after their horror early-season losing streak.
Keeley's two and a half year contract will commence after this weekend's bye, with the forward now a chance of playing against the Gold Coast Titans in Melbourne's next game, which will come in Round 19.
The Storm will likely need to win at least five of their remaining eight games to be a chance of qualifying for the finals, and Keeley could well play a significant role in that.
The Storm have missed Eliesa Katoa greatly this year, with the forward out for the season after suffering a traumatic head injury playing for Tonga in the 2025 Pacific Championships.
With Shawn Blore also likely to depart at the end of this year, and now an injury cloud over Ativalu Lisati, the immediate move for Keeley couldn't come at a better time.
“We're delighted to have Oryn joining our Club following our Round 18 bye,” Melbourne director of football Frank Ponissi said.
“He's a quality young player and having him arrive earlier than expected is a great outcome for both the Club and Oryn.
“We thank the Dolphins for working with us to facilitate his early release and look forward to welcoming Oryn and his partner Cloe to Melbourne.”
Melbourne's run home is the Titans, Roosters, Rabbitohs, Bulldogs, Sea Eagles, Panthers, Broncos and Sharks.
