The Melbourne Storm clearly missed star forward Brandon Smith when he defected to the Roosters last season, but no player missed him more than fellow hooker Harry Grant. Having provided the NRL's best one-two punch out of dummy-half in previous years, Grant was still a force without Smith, but he just wasn't quite as effective. The nippy hooker's metres per game were down on 2022, as were his try assists. His errors rose from 16 to a career high 28. In the 38-4 loss to Penrith that ended the Storm's 2023 season, Grant made just two runs for four post-contact metres – a major disappointment for one of the most dangerous dummy-halves in the league. Clearly, the challenge for Grant this campaign is to raise the bar and get back to where he was at his peak. Considering how well Grant and Smith worked together, that will be a tough ask. But Harry has the class to pull it off. The Storm roster has a formidable look coming into 2024, and they haven't lost any of their big-name stars – a rarity in previous seasons. If Ryan Papenhuyzen can have an injury-free run and regain his best form, the Storm will be looking in good for a top four finish. Former Tiger Shawn Blore, the one new signing, is a typical Craig Bellamy player. He looked good in patches at the Tigers, so chances are he will be great with the Purple People under the one and only Craig Bellamy.
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