As if losing three starting-quality players for the 2022 season wasn't bad enough, the Melbourne Storm will have lost more than half of their 2021 starting 13 by the time the 2023 season rolls around.
The losses of Dale Finucane, Nicho Hynes and Josh Addo-Carr have been covered for 2022, but it's the loss of experienced forwards Kenneath Bromwich, Jesse Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Brandon Smith for 2023 without currently-signed replacements which will have Storm fans on edge.
Craig Bellamy and the recruitment machine in the Victorian capital have never failed before, but the club have also never been faced with an as large problem as they do on this occasion.
With the Dolphins swooping on half of their forward pack, as well as Smith's loss to the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm director of football Frank Ponissi told SEN Radio that 2023 will be a challenge, saying the club "isn't wrapped" with the decision of so many players to walk away.
โWeโve got a really good squad for 2022, but weโve got a challenge for 2023,โ Ponissi said on SENโs Sportsday.
โWeโve lost experience and also leadership, thatโs probably a thing (weโll target).
โIt allows us to get in the marketplace and look at some of our younger players, push them through.
โIt is what it is, weโre not wrapped, but we canโt do anything about it.โ
Ponissi said that while young players were the focus of the club - backed up by last week's decision to extend the contracts of Reimis Smith for two years, and the yet to debut Jack Howart for five years - the Storm would need to target some experienced players to replace the leadership lost.
โThatโs one thing weโve always done, keeping the young players in our system, thatโs paramount," Ponissi said.
โTheyโre the future, but weโll pick up some players from other clubs and people might refer to them as journeymen.
โThere will be one or two players we target, I think experience and leadership is an area that we will target.
โWeโll look at that, as long as they fit the system.โ
I’m not sure you can call buying in a bunch of “journeymen” a new plan for the Storm. They’ve been doing this for years just to fill holes. Next year they have to replace a whole pack of rep quality forwards that “journeymen” may not cover.
I bet Ponissi said “rapt” not “wrapped” :=)