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Melbourne Storm’s General Manager of Football, Frank Ponissi has provided an injury update ahead of Sunday’s pre-season challenge game against North Queensland Cowboys.
Xavier Coates looks set to play Round 1 following an ankle strain at training.
“Xavier is going really well. He’s not training with the team just yet, but he’s been running close to full speed with our rehab staff.
“We’re confident he’ll be ready to go and play Round 1 against Parramatta.”
Jahrome Hughes will also miss Sunday’s pre-season game with a calf complaint.
“Jahrome had a minor calf issue over the last week and he’s just getting back to full training.
“Sunday is probably a bit too early for him to play, so like Xavier we expect Jahrome to be fully fit for the Parramatta (Round 1) game.”
Will Warbrick is another name not on the team sheet this week. The winger has been rested following Friday’s Māori All Stars game in Sydney.
“Will really enjoyed the experience on Friday and got plenty of minutes.
“The All Stars game is fairly intensive for pre-season, so we’ve given him a rest this weekend and he’ll be ready to go for Round 1.”
Moses Leo remains on track to be available across the early weeks of the season. The former New Zealand Rugby 7s player is making good progress following a minor quad injury.
“Moses was outstanding before Christmas and was one of our best trainers. He’s certainly brought a lot of speed and agility and is picking up the nuances of rugby league extremely well.
“Unfortunately, he’s had a couple of minor injuries that are keeping him out of training. We’re hoping he’ll play the weekend of Round 1, but if not, he should be ready the following week.”
Jonah Pezet is recovering from a hamstring strain that has delayed his return. The playmaker is also due to be fit for the opening weeks of the season.
“Jonah’s had a terrific pre-season. He’s picked up a slight hamstring issue, so again we’re just being cautious with him.
“We’re hoping he will be ready to go the first or second weekend and make his return to the field (following his ACL injury in April last year).”
In further positive news, Cameron Munster, Nick Meaney and Bronson Garlick are ahead of schedule following off-season hip surgery. Garlick featured in last weekend’s trial in New Zealand while Munster and Meaney will make their return to action on Sunday at Casey Fields.
“Round 1 was the expected return date for Cameron and Nick. Both guys have recovered very well and trained fully with the team for a number of weeks.
“They are both ready to go and will get a decent hit-out on Sunday. They won’t play the full 80 minutes, but they’ll get some good game time under their belt ahead of Round 1.”
