STRENGTH<\/p>\nExperience. The Storm have a wealth of experienced players, most of which have been in the last two Grand Finals and some who have tasted multiple premierships, so they know what it takes to go all the way. However, the pain of back-to-back Grand Final defeats will burn Craig Bellamy\u2019s men and they first need to work out where they went wrong and exorcise their demons to ensure they don\u2019t miss their next opportunity to win it all. Despite the loss of Ryan Papenhuyzen, the Storm still have three of the best playmakers in the game in Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster and Harry Grant and the key will be getting those three to create more opportunities for their teammates when it matters most in the finals. The Storm are a well oiled machine and know how to win minor premierships for fun, but going all the way depends on star players being brave and stepping up to take the game by the scruff of the neck, as Nathan Cleary and Reece Walsh showed them over the last two years. <\/p>\n
The Storm have premiership experience.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
WEAKNESS<\/p>\n
Spine depth. The loss of Ryan Papenhuyzen to retirement, Jonah Pezet to the Eels and Bronson Garlick to the Rabbitohs has placed a drain on the Storm\u2019s spine depth and it could be tested if injuries strike in 2026. Now more than ever the Storm can\u2019t afford Hughes, Munster and Grant to miss big chunks of the season through injury because there is little in the way of replacements waiting to fill the void. Sua Fa\u2019alogo is now the main man at fullback, but if he gets injured the Storm will be short on centres if Nick Meaney shifts to No.1 as expected. The Storm\u2019s depth made them the envy of the NRL for many seasons, but they are no longer looking as strong in that area and that will bring them back to the pack if their stars go down or even when they are on Origin duty. <\/p>\n
Harry Grant doesn\u2019t have a notable back-up.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
IT\u2019S A BIG YEAR FOR<\/p>\n
Sualauvi Fa\u2019alogo. The loss of Clive Churchill Medallist and premiership winner Ryan Papenhuyzen will be a huge void to fill and while Sua Fa\u2019alogo has massive potential, he is not the finished article just yet. 2026 looms as Fa\u2019alogo\u2019s chance to step out of the shadow of Papenhuyzen and announce himself as a consistent NRL No.1. The 22-year-old has scored 14 tries in 22 games since his debut in 2023, including four in seven games last year, so he has the talent to be a success. But he remains untested with the grind of a full NRL season in one of the most physically demanding positions in the game. The most games he has played in a season to date is 14, but the Storm need their new fullback to play a full year if they are a chance of venging their grand final heartbreak. <\/p>\n
Sualauvi Faalogo has some big shoes to fill in 2026.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
WHO\u2019S UNDER PRESSURE?<\/p>\n
Jahrome Hughes. The New Zealand No.7 is one of the best halfbacks in the game as he showed in winning the 2024 Dally M Medal, but he was not at his best last season. Injuries didn\u2019t help, but the Storm need Hughes fit and firing for the full season if they want to get back to a third straight decider and win it. And Hughes no longer has the insurance policy of Jonah Pezet to come in if his injury struggles continue. Firstly, Hughes needs to get his body right and then he needs to get back to the form he showed in 2024 because the Storm will be more reliant on their halfback, with Papenhuyzen no longer at the back. <\/p>\n
Jahrome Hughes needs to get his body right.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
THE RISING STAR<\/p>\n
Josiah Pahulu. The 21-year-old burst onto the NRL scene in 2024 with 19 games for the Titans before falling out with the club over his contract and he was restricted to just three games for the Titans last season. Yet to debut for the Storm, Pahulu needs to have a big year in 2026, with back-rower Eliesa Katoa out for the season. Pahulu has the raw size and power to be an enforcer for the Storm, but he needs to step up after Nelson Asofa-Solomona\u2019s departure to boxing. Pahulu has enormous potential, but the Storm desperately need him to realise it this season amid a couple of glaring voids in their pack. <\/p>\n
Josiah Pahulu is yet to debut for the Storm.Source: The Courier-Mail<\/p>\n
PREDICTED FINISH: 3rd<\/p>\n
BEST 17<\/p>\n
1. Sualauvi Fa\u2019alogo<\/p>\n
2. Will Warbrick<\/p>\n
3. Jack Howarth<\/p>\n
4. Nick Meaney<\/p>\n
5. Xavier Coates<\/p>\n
6. Cameron Munster<\/p>\n
7. Jahrome Hughes<\/p>\n
8. Stefano Utoikamanu<\/p>\n
9. Harry Grant<\/p>\n
10. Josh King<\/p>\n
11. Shawn Blore<\/p>\n
12. Ativalu Lisati<\/p>\n
13. Trent Loiero<\/p>\n
14. Tyran Wishart<\/p>\n
15. Davvy Moale<\/p>\n
16. Alec MacDonald<\/p>\n
17. Josiah Pahulu<\/p>\n
STORM SQUAD<\/p>\n
Top 30: Alec MacDonald (2028), Cameron Munster (2027), Eliesa Katoa (2027), Harry Grant (2026), Jack Howarth (2027), Jahrome Hughes (2030), Joe Chan (2028), Josiah Pahulu (2027), Josh King (2027), Moses Leo (2027), Lazarus Vaalepu (2027), Moses Leo (2027), Nick Meaney (2026), Shawn Blore (2026), Sualauvi Fa\u2019alogo (2028), Stefano Utoikamanu (2027), Trent Loiero (2028), Tui Kamikamica (2025), Tyran Wishart (2025, CO 2026), William Warbrick (2026), Xavier Coates (2028)<\/p>\n
Development players: Jai Bowden (2026), Stanley Huen (2026), Preston Conn (2027)<\/p>\n
2026 gains: NIL<\/p>\n
2026 losses: Grant Anderson (Broncos), Jonah Pezet (Eels), Ryan Papenhuyzen (released), Bronson Garlick (Souths), Nelson Asofa-Solomona (released)<\/p>\n
Coach: Craig Bellamy (2026)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the NRL, dynasties usually come with an expiration date. Success breeds complacency, and complacency is the silent…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[179125,28078,64,63,689,78637,4428,4567,30195,4532,8089,168668,244510,244515,79818,13774,130925,2105,111455,4608,217322,231345,231342,56528,52911,85456,4569,4575,4492,4473,28052,231229,223960,244518,231333,4466,236779,174141,244509,761,762,673,4609,158,677,244507,244513,206070,52764,159557,174140,244508,13391,244505,217335,244516,244512,4488,244506,85,244514,244504,244517,670,30846,244511,80529,21380],"class_list":{"0":"post-482394","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-aerial-threats","9":"tag-alec-macdonald","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","13":"tag-bench-utility","14":"tag-brisbane-broncos","15":"tag-cameron-munster","16":"tag-cameron-spencer","17":"tag-canberra-raiders","18":"tag-craig-bellamy","19":"tag-development-players","20":"tag-expert-storm-verdict","21":"tag-expiration-date","22":"tag-faalogo","23":"tag-football-team","24":"tag-front-row-rotation","25":"tag-getty-images-inc","26":"tag-grand-final-heartbreak","27":"tag-grant-anderson","28":"tag-halves-spots","29":"tag-head-finals-bound-trio","30":"tag-horror-top-eight","31":"tag-injuries-strike","32":"tag-injury-struggles","33":"tag-insurance-policy","34":"tag-jack-howarth","35":"tag-jahrome-hughes","36":"tag-joe-chan","37":"tag-josh-king","38":"tag-josiah-pahulu","39":"tag-ladder-bubble","40":"tag-lightning-rod","41":"tag-line-break-assists","42":"tag-luai-q-and","43":"tag-melbourne-storm","44":"tag-mick-crawley","45":"tag-moses-leo","46":"tag-multiple-premierships","47":"tag-national-rugby-league","48":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","49":"tag-new-south-wales","50":"tag-nick-meaney","51":"tag-nrl","52":"tag-oceania","53":"tag-permanent-residence","54":"tag-precision-line-running","55":"tag-premiership-experience","56":"tag-premiership-winner","57":"tag-pressure-cooker","58":"tag-preston-conn","59":"tag-rebuilding-phases","60":"tag-reece-walsh","61":"tag-roller-coaster","62":"tag-row-pairing","63":"tag-ruck-control","64":"tag-rugby-league-machine","65":"tag-shawn-blore","66":"tag-spine-depth","67":"tag-sports","68":"tag-storm-preview","69":"tag-storm-squad","70":"tag-success-breeds-complacency","71":"tag-sydney","72":"tag-vince-lombardi","73":"tag-whips-start-cracking","74":"tag-william-warbrick","75":"tag-work-ethic"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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