“He was 145kg, that’s a big boy”: How the Storm are going to fill the NAS-sized gap

The Melbourne Storm are set to release their replacement for enforcer prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona this weekend.

It comes in the shape of Cooper Clarke, who has been named on the bench for the Storm's clash against the Parramatta Eels this Thursday.

Clarke impressed the Storm coaching staff during his trials campaign and has been rewarded with an NRL debut.

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy revealed his weight loss during a press conference, saying he weighed 145kg at one point while in the under-19s.

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Although his current weight is not specified, anything over 125 kilograms would put him in the heaviest players category, a worthy replacement for Asofa-Solomona.

The monster forward looks to have trimmed down in a bid to improve his mobility and to become a well-rounded player who can play second row or up front.

"Cooper is only a young kid who will be making his debut," Bellamy said.

"He has done well in the trials, he can play a little bit on the edge and can play through the middle, so he gives us a little bit of versatility there.

"He is a kid that has worked hard for it as well. Just presenting his jumper, it was mentioned that when he first came into the under-19s, he was 145kg. That is a big boy.

"So he has certainly worked hard to get down to the weight he is now and to be playing good footy."

The former Storm prop has joined popular combat franchise 'No Limit', where he is testing himself as a professional boxer, leaving the Storm and the NRL for the time being.

With Asofa-Solomona being the Storm's enforcer for over a decade, the mantle has been handed over to Clarke to fill the space he has left in the forward pack.

Clarke represented the NSW Blues under-19s in 2025, along with being SG Balls' player of the year award last year. 

His father, Leo, also represented the Western Magpies in the late 90s.