The Melbourne Storm enter the 2026 NRL season lacking stability, losing key players but still retain stars. Expectations remain for a top-eight finish.
The Melbourne Storm arrive at the start of the 2026 NRL season possibly as unstable as they have been in years.
A difficult off-season, albeit a calculated one, has seen the club lose Ryan Papenhuyzen, Jonah Pezet and Nelson Asofa-Solomona, while key forward Eliesa Katoa will miss the entirety of the campaign after his disastrous head injuries playing for Tonga during the Pacific Championships.
That's not to say the Storm are about to fall like a stone. Most pundits still have them in the expected top eight, but they certainly don't carry the same air of confidence and favouritism about them as they have had in recent years.
That, despite the fact three of the best in the game - Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster and Harry Grant - will still lead them around the park.