Melbourne Storm has selected a youthful 18-man squad to represent the Club at next weekend's Auckland Nines.
Queensland representative outside back Will Chambers will lead the side as captain at the tournament in Auckland next weekend. Craig Bellamy will be in Auckland to cast his eyes over the performance of the squad, however Assistant Coach Adam O'Brien will take the reigns as head coach for the abbreviated format.
Chambers, Travis Robinson and forward Dayne Weston are the most experienced members of the squad which has an average age of 22.
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Two Victorians, Young Tonumaipea and Richie Kennar have been included and will both attend the Nines for the second time after appearing at the inaugural tournament last year. Tonumaipea burst onto the NRL scene last season, featuring in Storm's opening 14 matches of the 2014 season while Kennar was close to breaking into the first-grade squad before injury struck mid-year.
New faces next weekend will include 2015 recruit Shaun Nona as well as U20 graduates Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Suliasi Vunivalu. Speedsters Marika Koroibete and Robinson will also give fans plenty to look forward to in the nine-a-side format.
Former Thunderbolts Billy Brittain and Francis Tualau have also earned selection in the squad after impressive performances training with the first-grade squad over pre-season.
While the Club has been focusing on Round 1 of the NRL premiership season, the team has started its preparation for the Nines by playing a number of small sided games at training. The Nines tournament provides a great opportunity for clubs to expose young talent to high level football at a fast paced intensity.
2015 Melbourne Storm Auckland Nines squad
Coach: Adam O’Brien
1. Young Tonumaipea
2. Kenny Bromwich
3. Will Chambers (Captain)
4. Kurt Mann
5. Richie Kennar
6. Dayne Weston
7. Cameron Munster
8. Hymel Hunt
9. Tim Glasby
10. Marika Koroibete
11. Travis Robinson
12. Christian Welch
13. Ben Hampton
14. Billy Brittain
15. Francis Tualau
16. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
17. Suliasi Vunivalu
18. Shaun Nona
