Lazarus Vaalepu will become Storm player #235 when he makes his NRL debut against the Sydney Roosters tonight at AAMI Park.
Born in Penrith, the front-rower came through the ranks as a Canberra Raiders junior before moving to Queensland to play for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and then the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
His Hostplus Cup debut came for Wynnum in Round 1 of the 2021 season against the PNG Hunters.
The 25-year-old has spent the past three seasons playing for Storm feeder club, Sunshine Coast Falcons, where he has made 51 appearances.
Vaalepu first came to the Melbourne Storm at the end of the 2022 season on a six-week train and trial contract and his consistency and dedication to improving his game led to an NRL contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
