Melbourne will be able to call on seven players from their beaten 2018 grand final side for Friday night’s NRL trial against the Vodafone Warriors at Kardinia Park in Geelong (7.50pm kick-off local time; 9.50pm NZT).
Of the starting line-up used in the 6-21 loss to the Sydney Roosters, Storm head coach Craig Bellamy has included wing Suliasi Vunivalu, centre Curtis Scott, halfback Brodie Croft and second rower Joe Stimson plus interchange hooker Brandon Smith and middle forwards Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Christian Welch.
Also named for the match – which will be streamed live on www.warriors.kiwi – is utility Jahrome Hughes, who was in Melbourne’s extended squad for the grand final. Along with Smith, Hughes featured for the Maori Kiwis All-Stars in last Friday night’s clash against the Australian Indigenous All-Stars.
The seven grand finalists have all been selected to start in Friday night’s trial.
Also named is wing Sandor Earl, who is set to play his first match since 2013 after being banned for four years and side-lined with a season-ending knee injury in 2018.
Other players with first-grade experience listed in a 29-man squad are fullback Scott Drinkwater and prop Tui Kamikamica plus interchange players Cheyse Blair, Patrick Kaufusi, Justin Olam, Harry Grant and Tom Eisenhuth.
NRL TRIAL
VODAFONE WARRIORS v MELBOURNE STORM
7.50pm, Friday, February 22
Kardinia Park, Geelong
MELBOURNE STORM
1 SCOTT DRINKWATER
2 SULIASI VUNIVALU
3 MARION SEVE
4 CURTIS SCOTT
5 SANDOR EARL
6 BILLY WALTERS
7 BRODIE CROFT
8 CHRISTIAN WELCH
9 BRANDON SMITH
10 TUI KAMIKAMICA
11 JOE STIMSON
12 TOM EISENHUTH
13 NELSON ASOFA-SOLOMONA
Interchange:
14 JAHROME HUGHES
15 RYAN PAPENHUYZEN
16 JUSTIN OLAM
17 CHEYSE BLAIR
18 CURTIS DANSEY-SMALLER
19 TOM HUGHES
20 COOPER JOHNS
21 HARRY GRANT
22 NICHO HYNES
23 TINO FA'ASUAMALEAUI
24 PATRICK KAUFUSI
25 KELMA TUILAGI
27 MATT STIMSON
28 TRENT TOELAU
29 DARRYN SCHONIG
30 DANIEL DOLE
HEAD COACH | CRAIG BELLAMY
