CHOFU, JAPAN – JULY 26: William Warbrick of Team New Zealand gets past Luciano Gonzalez of Team Argentina to score a try during the Men’s Pool A Rugby Sevens match between New Zealand and Argentina on day three of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Tokyo Stadium on July 26, 2021 in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
The Melbourne Storm are known for their excellence in recruiting the right players for the club.
Countless players have arrived in Melbourne and turned their careers around under Craig Bellamy, while the same can’t be said of players leaving Melbourne.
Players like Brenko Lee and Dale Finucane made themselves State of Origin players in the Melbourne system, while players on the way out like Kevin Proctor have never been able to hit the same heights they achieved in the Storm system.
So, when the Storm make a recruitment decision, it makes fans sit up and take notice.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Coach Craig Bellamy looks on during a Melbourne Storm NRL training session at Gosch’s Paddock on September 17, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
A News Corp report now suggests the Storm are on the verge of signing New Zealand rugby sevens star Will Warbrick.
The 23-year-old, who was born in Kawerau – located in the Bay of Plenty outside Auckland – made his debut for the New Zealand team in 2019 and won a silver medal at the 2020 (played in 2021) Tokyo Olympics.
He checks in at 193cm and 100 kilograms, and has pace to burn, with the Storm believing he could be an ideal candidate to play on the wing in the 13-man game.
It’s understood he has been identified as a potential replacement for Josh Addo-Carr. That comes as a surprise in itself, given the club signed Xavier Coates from the Melbourne Storm as seemingly a long-term option on the wing.
The tall Papua New Guinean was dropped by Broncos’ coach Kevin Walters in his final months with the Red Hill-based club, however, there is a train of thought which suggests he could become one of the best wingers in the competition if he can improve defensively under Bellamy.
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 15: Xavier Coates of the Broncos breaks away from the defence during the round six NRL match between the Brisbane Broncos and the Penrith Panthers at Suncorp Stadium, on April 15, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
The Storm have also signed Nick Meaney from the Canterbury Bulldogs, with the talented youngster possessing plenty in his own game which will leave him fighting for a spot in 2022.
Add that to the Storm’s current wing depth in Victorian Dean Ieremia and heavy-hitter Isaac Lumelume, and the fact they are still looking for an Addo-Carr replacement could raise eyebrows.
Still, the Olympic silver-medalist could be something of a game-changer given his size, and while a contract of any description is yet to be signed or confirmed, he wouldn’t be the first to jump codes between rugby union and league.
Source:: ZeroTackle
