Melbourne Storm forward Christian Welch is reportedly weighing up medical retirement after suffering yet another concussion.
The prop forward, who has formerly played for Queensland and served in leadership roles within the Storm set-up, has had a horror run with injuries and concussions.
Fox Sports are reporting the prop suffered the seventh concussion of his career in January at pre-season training and has now been given time away from the game to consider his future.
The 30-year-old has also had ACL injuries, an Achilles injury, and it's understood he could also now need back surgery.
There is no timeline provided on when he will make a decision by, but it's believed the NRL would approve medical retirement for Welch should he and the club request it.
A veteran of 163 NRL games, Welch was likely to be in the mix for a bench spot when Craig Bellamy names his Round 1 team for 2025, with the club having one of the best middle third rotations in the competition.
The signing of Stefano Utoikamanu from the Wests Tigers for 2025 adds another representative calibre prop to the side that already boast Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Tui Kamikamica, Trent Loiero and Josh King through their middle third, as well as the likes of Alec MacDonald and 2024 breakout player Lazarus Vaalepu.
Should Welch not be medically retired, previous reports suggest the mutual option in his contract for 2026 will only be triggered if he plays 16 games throughout the 2025 season.
If he doesn't reach that number, then the Storm would have no obligation to retain the former Origin forward on their books for 2026.
Welch is believed to be on roughly $600,000 per year, and a medical retirement in the next few weeks could save the Storm as much as $400,000 from this year's salary cap, as well as all of his wage for next year.
