Nelson Asofa-Solomona returns with a bang for Melbourne Storm to make them a more imposing premiership contender

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Nelson Asofa-Solomona returns with a bang for Melbourne Storm to make them a more imposing premiership contender

While Ryan Papenhuyzen routed the Wests Tigers on Sunday, it was the sizeable return of man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona that looms as the crucial addition for Melbourne Storm’s premiership ambitions after getting his “weight and training” back to standards.

The Kiwi international played his first game since round 3 in Storm’s 64-0 win at AAMI Park, rattling Tigers defenders and pounding his way to one of his team’s 11-tries.

Asofa-Solomona was a late inclusion for the game, and only just, having made a delayed start to the season because of suspension, as well as overcoming injuries and enduring a concussion lay-off, before returning in the Queensland Cup.

Storm coach Bellamy said his enforcer, who added boxing to his off-season activities, took a “little while” to hit the standards expected to get back into the NRL team.

But the master coach “liked what he saw” from the 29-year-old at the lower level last week.

“He’s been really invested in his training and his preparation to get back,” Bellamy said.

“He got suspended, then he had the head knock, so it took him a little while to get back from that.

Injured Storm star Harry Grant urged his own grumpy coach Craig Bellamy to crack a smile as Melbourne demolished the Tigers.

“He’s been aware of his weight and aware of his training to get ready to return. And he played two games up in the QRL competition, and we really like what we saw last week.”

Asofa-Solomona came off the bench on Sunday and ran for 124m from 13 runs, the most of any of Melbourne’s front rowers, with his 59 post-contact metres showing the impact he can have.

His influence looms large as Storm moved back to third on the NRL ladder and Bellamy said more of the same from Asofa-Solomona would remind everyone how “important” he is to the team’s premiership chances.

“It wasn’t easy to fit him back in the side, actually … we’re going pretty well,” Bellamy said.

“But to put be able to put him back in and see him play like that, we just know how important he is to the team, and hopefully he can stay invested and be disciplined with his weight and his training and we get more of that.”

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