The Melbourne Storm have succeeded in retaining Young Tonumaipea and Chris Lewis on train and trial deals for 2023.
Melbourne fans are more than accustomed to seeing Tonumaipea and Lewis in navy and purple with the pair playing a combined 86 NRL games for the Victorian club.
Tonumaipea made his NRL debut for the Storm back in 2014, playing 43 games with the club before departing the club in 2018.
His sporting journey saw him play 10 matches with the Gold Coast Titans, and cross-codes to play for the Melbourne Rebels in 2021.
He returned to Craig Bellamy's stable midway through the 2022 season, adding depth to an injury-ravaged Melbourne outfit.
Nail in the coffin after Johns delivers a beautiful ball for Tonumaipea! What a win from the Storm.
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🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/xfxpjNKbQe pic.twitter.com/qXgQzYc4c1— Fox League (@FOXNRL) August 5, 2022
Meanwhile, Lewis has been part of the Storm since his debut for the club in 2020 and has been granted increasing opportunities in the starting side following the departure of a number of key forwards.
The addition of Tonumaipea and Lewis brings the Storm's train and trial list up to five players.
Also included on that list is AJ Gudgeon, a product of the Storm's First Nations pathway program, as well as forwards Bronson Garlick and Lazarus Vaalepu.
The Melbourne training paddock is also home to a couple of notable young players on development contracts, such as Cole Geyer, nephew of Panther's icon Mark Geyer and cousin of the up-and-coming Mavrik Geyer, as well as prestigious and hard-working young Victorian Thunderbolts fullback, Sua Fa'alogo.
