Storm look to make room for Grant return

Melbourne skipper Jesse Bromwich says he's excited to potentially have State of Origin hooker Harry Grant back in their line-up to face Canterbury but doesn't want it to come at the expense Brandon Smith. The Storm are looking to squeeze both star rakes into their side for the Saturday afternoon clash at Stadium Australia, with Grant named on an extended bench for the first time since suffering a pre-season knee injury. New Zealand Test hooker Smith has started at No.9 for all four games and has proved a solid replacement for retired skipper Cameron Smith - ranking second this season for dummy-half runs behind Gold Coast's Mitch Rein. The highly-rated Grant is more of a playmaker and the Storm are keen to develop his partnership with Cameron Munster and speedster Ryan Papenhuyzen. But Bromwich said the Storm couldn't afford to lose the punch the of hard-running Smith. Bromwich thinks Smith will start against the winless Bulldogs at hooker, with Grant coming off the bench. Smith would then shift to middle forward where he made such an impact last year. But Bromwich said he'd had plenty of help up front, rating Christian Welch as the Storm's most reliable performer over the opening rounds.