Latest news with #NelsonAsofa-Solomona
Perth Now
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
‘Not good': Storm star's concussion concerns
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says the club is actively 'looking' to bring in some new players from other clubs amid a 'testing' time with injuries which includes troubling ongoing concussion issues for star winger Will Warbrick. While Storm powerhouse Nelson Asofa-Solomona will be 'playing somewhere' in his return from injury this weekend and centre Nick Meaney comes back for the Anzac Day clash with South Sydney, Bellamy said getting 17 fit players was becoming difficult. Captain Harry Grant remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, Jack Howarth is also out after dislocating his shoulder and Warbrick hasn't even started training as he deals with 'complicated' concussion issues. Melbourne has money in the salary cap to bring in some more players after the pre-season retirement of former captain Christian Welch. Nelson Asofa-Solomona will return from injury this weekend. NRL Photos Credit: Supplied But Bellamy said getting deals done was becoming problematic in the current climate with other clubs also feeling the injury pinch. 'It has been testing but there's other clubs in the same boat. we're just struggling to put a 17 out there at the moment,' he said. 'We've already been looking at (bringing in players) since Christian retired. I'm not quite sure why we haven't got someone in. There's not too many clubs willing to release players. 'We need to make sure we get the best out of what we've got.' Bellamy said Kiwi international Warbrick, who has only played two games this season, was still feeling the delayed effects of a concussion suffered in the All Stars game in February and didn't know when he'd be back. 'To be quite honest I don't really understand it, it's fairly complicated with the head knock,' he said. 'He got the head knock in the Indigenous and Maori All-Stars game and he played a week or two after that and then he had delayed symptoms. 'I'm not 100 per cent sure what is happening. He hasn't even started training yet. It hasn't been great for us or Will.' Melbourne gave up 40-straight points in a first-ever loss to the Dolphins last week and Bellamy knows the main area they need to address against Souths, as he looks to continue a nine-year winning streak against coaching rival Wayne Bennett. 'Our completion rate has been a bit of a problem brushed under the carpet a little bit because we've been winning games,' he said. 'But our completion rate has been really poor to be quite honest so that's something that's come into view this week.' 'We need, as a team, to defend better and as individuals to defend better.' South Sydney have never beaten the Storm in Melbourne in 19 attempts since they joined the NRL in 1998.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Storm star's nervous wait ahead of GF rematch
Melbourne Storm are sweating on man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona's availability for the grand final rematch after the star prop forward was placed on report for a hip-drop tackle in the Queensland Cup in his first game back from a ban that ruled him out of last year's decider. Melbourne desperately missed his size on grand final night, with the New Zealand international copping a five-match ban for a high shot on Roosters forward Lindsay Collins in the preliminary final. Asofa-Solomona missed a few matches for the Kiwis in the Pacific Championships and also sat out the Storm's round one win over the Eels, with the prop getting some valuable minutes under his belt for the Sunshine Coast Falcons last week. However, he was placed on report for a dangerous tackle, with the charge sheet set to drop on Tuesday. Nelson Asofa-Solomona could face further time on the sideline after being placed on report for a 'hip drop' in the Sunshine Coast's 28-6 win over was on the comeback trail after his suspension in last year's finals series. Do we think he has a case to answer? — The League Scene (@LeagueScenePod) March 16, 2025 'He's still burning after missing last year's grand final, but by all reports he went up there and played for the Sunny Coast and went really well so we're keen to get him back in the side,' halfback Jahrome Hughes said. 'We're hoping we get him for this week. He deserves to be there, he's done a lot of hard work in the pre-season and he's still burning from missing out on last year's GF so he's really hungry to get back in the team.' Asofa-Solomona would be a huge inclusion alongside new recruit Stefano Utoikamanu for Thursday's showdown with the Panthers who are coming off a shock loss to an undermanned Roosters last week. Hughes concedes he didn't watch the game and is expecting the Panthers to be fired up when they travel to Melbourne. 'By all reports, they probably didn't play their best footy, and the Roosters apparently played really well,' he said. 'We can't bank on Penrith having another off game because we know they're going to turn up. They've been turning up for many years so we're just trying to focus on ourselves and how we turn up. 'They don't have many bad games in a row so I think they're going to be up for this week's game. 'It's probably a good thing, we want to test ourselves against the best and they're the best at the moment so we're looking forward to the challenge.' Thursday's clash will be Hughes' 150th NRL appearance for the Storm, with the playmaker relishing the fact the Storm's spine is fully fit after an injury interrupted 2024 campaign. It's a different story for Penrith who have lost champion five-eighth Jarome Luai to the Tigers, while representative fullback Dylan Edwards will be out for a few weeks with a groin complaint. 'They're such a quality club as a whole,' the 2024 Dally M Medal winner said. 'They've lost players in the last four or five years and they've still been able to finish on top. 'We know they're going to come out and play good footy like they have been, and I don't think it really matters too much about who's in those spots. 'They're still going to be a hard team to defend and a hard team to play.'
