Melbourne Storm set for roster review after second-straight grand final heartbreak

Melbourne No.1 Ryan Papenhuyzen may be the subject of a big money bid from breakaway rugby union competition R360 but for rugby league’s sake, let’s hope they weren’t watching the other bloke in the No.1 jersey on grand final night.

Papenhuyzen has been a loyal servant for the Storm but he was eclipsed by a breathtaking performance from Walsh.

They all were and a second successive grand final defeat is set to prompt not just some soul-searching, but also a roster review at Melbourne as they plot the way forward.

They had the grand final in their keeping at halftime but they let it slip away in the second half as Walsh went to work and their discipline let them down.

Lock Trent Loiero finished the game in the sin bin as frustrations began to bubble over.

Melbourne’s talismanic halfback Jahrome Hughes had helped the Storm set up the first-half lead barely a month after his season looked over.

A dejected Hughes trudged off Suncorp Stadium in the final week of the regular season with his forearm snapped in two and his season on the brink.

The Storm were battling as well. Hughes was their talisman. Their chief playmaker. The man with his hands on the tiller.

He remarkably found a way back and looked to have put his side on the path to victory when he scored a brilliant try just before halftime, prompting raptures from the bay of Storm supporters at the northern end of the ground.

Hughes stepped off his right foot and left four defenders in his wake as the Storm surged to a 22-12 lead.

It was a stroke of genius but as good as their first half was, their second was diabolical as Walsh put them to the sword.

What a player. If he wasn’t scoring tries, he was saving them. He was the difference and the Storm and their coach Craig Bellamy now face an off-season of significant decisions which will define where the Storm go next.

They have their presentation night later this week and once the formalities are out the way, some big calls are afoot.

Papenhuyzen had a quiet night in the grand final and his planned move to rugby union breakaway R360 could prompt the club to discuss severing ties 12 months ahead of schedule, particularly with Sua Faalogo waiting in the wings.

His night was best summed up by a blistering break late in the second half that looked likely to lead to a try, only for Walsh to run him down and the chance went to waste.

Nelson Asofa-Solomona was suspended for the grand final but there is every chance he has played his last game for the club as well.

Asofa-Solomona has two years remaining on a lucrative deal but it feels like he has worn out his welcome at the club and they are believed to be in dire need of the salary space that his departure could create.

The Storm also have a call to make as the Perth Bears circle Cameron Munster and rival clubs pursue his deputy Jonah Pezet.

First, they will need to take a breath and absorb this loss. It will cut deep given the way it slipped away in the second half.

The Storm have played in fits and starts this season, and that indifferent form came back to hunt them on the biggest stage.

Chances like this don’t come along every year. The Storm have let another one slip away.

Originally published as Melbourne Storm set for roster review after second-straight grand final heartbreak