Latest news with #Ponissi
West Australian
15-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Melbourne Storm football boss Frank Ponissi says not picking his team to go to Las Vegas was a missed opportunity and a 'kick in the guts'
Melbourne Storm football boss Frank Ponissi has lashed the NRL after his team was overlooked for the season-opener in Las Vegas in 2026 describing the decision as a 'kick in the guts' for the club and rugby league in Victoria. The Storm were one of the frontrunners to participate in this year's season-opening excursion to America but withdrew their application last June so they could focus their preparations closer to home. They were again one of the favourites to be involved in 2026, but they've missed out with the Bulldogs, Dragons, Cowboys and Knights chosen to compete, with a Super League clash to round out the triple treat of action which won't feature a women's match this time around. The Storm are one of the most successful sporting clubs in the country and have attracted a couple of sellout crowds at home already this season, with the competition heavyweights coming off a thumping 64-0 win over the Wests Tigers. The Vegas trip is a chance to grow the game on the global stage, and Ponissi and the club are disappointed the Storm haven't been given the chance to do it in what will be the third year of taking games to Allegiant Stadium. 'I can't sugar-coat it, it was a kick in the guts for the club and the game down here in Victoria,' Ponissi said on SEN. 'Given the profile of the game and the media surrounding it and the way it's started, it would have been fantastic (to be heading over there). 'To miss out again is disappointing for the club and the game in Victoria. 'We've just got to swallow our pride and not feel sorry for ourselves because we've got more important things to worry about this year. 'It would've been nice, but we can't dwell on it and we've got to move on and make sure we have a really good Origin period over the next six weeks.' While no official reason has been provided, Ponissi said the club must move on ahead of a challenging game against the Sharks on Saturday where skipper Harry Grant is expected to return from injury. 'I think they were keen to get a Queensland team and the three NSW teams,' he said. 'We're not going to agree with everything from the NRL and whatever the decision is, but the most important thing is we got the decision the other day. 'We're disappointed and we've moved on. It's fish and chip paper.'
Perth Now
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
‘Kick in the guts': Storm rage over Vegas snub
Melbourne Storm football boss Frank Ponissi has lashed the NRL after his team was overlooked for the season-opener in Las Vegas in 2026 describing the decision as a 'kick in the guts' for the club and rugby league in Victoria. The Storm were one of the frontrunners to participate in this year's season-opening excursion to America but withdrew their application last June so they could focus their preparations closer to home. They were again one of the favourites to be involved in 2026, but they've missed out with the Bulldogs, Dragons, Cowboys and Knights chosen to compete, with a Super League clash to round out the triple treat of action which won't feature a women's match this time around. The Storm are one of the most successful sporting clubs in the country and have attracted a couple of sellout crowds at home already this season, with the competition heavyweights coming off a thumping 64-0 win over the Wests Tigers. The Vegas trip is a chance to grow the game on the global stage, and Ponissi and the club are disappointed the Storm haven't been given the chance to do it in what will be the third year of taking games to Allegiant Stadium. 'I can't sugar-coat it, it was a kick in the guts for the club and the game down here in Victoria,' Ponissi said on SEN. 'Given the profile of the game and the media surrounding it and the way it's started, it would have been fantastic (to be heading over there). 'To miss out again is disappointing for the club and the game in Victoria. 'We've just got to swallow our pride and not feel sorry for ourselves because we've got more important things to worry about this year. Newcastle Knights captain Kalyn Ponga and North Queensland Cowboys co-captain Reuben Cotter are going to Las Vegas next year. PHOTO: NRL Credit: News Corp Australia 'It would've been nice, but we can't dwell on it and we've got to move on and make sure we have a really good Origin period over the next six weeks.' While no official reason has been provided, Ponissi said the club must move on ahead of a challenging game against the Sharks on Saturday where skipper Harry Grant is expected to return from injury. 'I think they were keen to get a Queensland team and the three NSW teams,' he said. 'We're not going to agree with everything from the NRL and whatever the decision is, but the most important thing is we got the decision the other day. 'We're disappointed and we've moved on. It's fish and chip paper.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Origin star's positive injury news
Melbourne Storm are hoping to have skipper Harry Grant back on the field by round 10, with the Maroons star likely to get at least one club game in before the State of Origin series kicks off. There were fears Grant would miss the Origin opener on May 28 as a result of a hamstring injury that kept him out of last week's shock loss to the Dolphins. 'Harry's going to miss the next two games – this game against the Rabbitohs and the Magic weekend against the Raiders,' Storm general manager of football Frank Ponissi said on Wednesday. 'He'll definitely miss those two games, but we're hoping he'll be back the following week against the Wests Tigers. 'He'll be touch and go for that one. If he's not available for that, he'll definitely be available for the last game before Origin.' The Storm are dealing with a mini injury crisis with Jack Howarth expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a dislocated shoulder, while Tui Kamikamica will miss two games with an ankle sprain. Nick Meaney should return for Friday's game against Souths, while Nelson Asofa-Solomona has also been named, although Ponissi said the preference was for him to play a game in reserve grade to work on his conditioning. 'We should get Nick Meaney back on Friday which is great because we're really thin out wide, but the rest of our centres won't be back for another couple of months so we're going to be missing them for a while,' Ponissi told SEN, with Moses Leo also out long term. 'Every club gets injuries, but it's just how you deal with them. We know at the beginning of the year that we're going to have injuries and we're going to have bad periods, it's the ability to cover them. 'We coped really well last year when we had injuries, but we didn't cope with it last week. The next month we'll make a real effort to carry on without some key members of our team.' Injuries won't be used an excuse this week as they look to bounce back from an ugly loss to the Dolphins where they conceded 40 points in a row after blowing a 16-2 lead. Ponissi said the review was a tough one but praised the players for how they've responded at training. 'It hasn't been pleasant. It wasn't just uncharacteristic, it's not accepted at the club,' he said. 'It was a pretty strong and honest review, but in fairness to the players, they've reacted by training really well for the rest of the week.'
News.com.au
23-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Storm captain an Queensland Maroons star Harry Grant will be ready for Origin opener
Melbourne Storm are hoping to have skipper Harry Grant back on the field by round 10, with the Maroons star likely to get at least one club game in before the State of Origin series kicks off. There were fears Grant would miss the Origin opener on May 28 as a result of a hamstring injury that kept him out of last week's shock loss to the Dolphins. 'Harry's going to miss the next two games – this game against the Rabbitohs and the Magic weekend against the Raiders,' Storm general manager of football Frank Ponissi said on Wednesday. 'He'll definitely miss those two games, but we're hoping he'll be back the following week against the Wests Tigers. 'He'll be touch and go for that one. If he's not available for that, he'll definitely be available for the last game before Origin.' The Storm are dealing with a mini injury crisis with Jack Howarth expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a dislocated shoulder, while Tui Kamikamica will miss two games with an ankle sprain. Nick Meaney should return for Friday's game against Souths, while Nelson Asofa-Solomona has also been named, although Ponissi said the preference was for him to play a game in reserve grade to work on his conditioning. 'We should get Nick Meaney back on Friday which is great because we're really thin out wide, but the rest of our centres won't be back for another couple of months so we're going to be missing them for a while,' Ponissi told SEN, with Moses Leo also out long term. 'Every club gets injuries, but it's just how you deal with them. We know at the beginning of the year that we're going to have injuries and we're going to have bad periods, it's the ability to cover them. 'We coped really well last year when we had injuries, but we didn't cope with it last week. The next month we'll make a real effort to carry on without some key members of our team.' Injuries won't be used an excuse this week as they look to bounce back from an ugly loss to the Dolphins where they conceded 40 points in a row after blowing a 16-2 lead. Ponissi said the review was a tough one but praised the players for how they've responded at training. 'It hasn't been pleasant. It wasn't just uncharacteristic, it's not accepted at the club,' he said. 'It was a pretty strong and honest review, but in fairness to the players, they've reacted by training really well for the rest of the week.'
