The Melbourne Storm enter the 2026 NRL season as unstable as they have been in many years.
Craig Bellamy's side might have made two straight grand finals, but a pair of losses and squad turnover during the off-season will leave more questions than answers as they prepare for the new campaign.
Ryan Papenhuyzen, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Jonah Pezet have all departed, among others, while their signings leave a little to be desired in replacing those names.
The squad is still a strong one, although selection questions heading into the new year will certainly challenge Bellamy and his coaching staff.
Here are the key issues that could shape the discussion for the Victorian-based outfit as they surge towards Round 1, although with plenty of spots left to fill in their Top 30 (officially, at least), things could shuffle.
What happens if there is an injury in the halves?
Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes are both well into the second half of their respective careers, and while their form shows no signs of slowing down, both have been hit by the injury bug at times in recent seasons.
The issue this time around for Melbourne is that there is no Jonah Pezet after his release to the Parramatta Eels for 2026, before he joins the Brisbane Broncos in 2027.
Pezet has been an excellent fill-in at either the number six or seven in recent times, but the fact is Melbourne doesn't have his services anymore.
Tyran Wishart is still the most obvious replacement in the halves, although it does expose Melbourne to not having a key utility on the bench, while the signing of Trent Toelau from Penrith adds depth.
The issue there, though, is neither Wishart nor Toelau are halfbacks.
Both play the five-eighth role well, but Wishart's time at number seven last year exposed his kicking game and confirmed he isn't ready to be a game manager.
If Jahrome Hughes does go down for any length of time, there are real concerns around what Melbourne does in the halves.
