Melbourne Storm plan $2.4m NRL raid after Ryan Papenhuyzen’s exit

Asofa-Solomona, who was on around $850,000 a season, was the first to go, with the club allowing him to walk out the door with two years remaining on his contract just days after losing the grand final. Then this week, young halfback Pezet and superstar fullback Papenhuyzen confirmed their exits. Watch the 2025 Rugby League Ashes LIVE with no ad-breaks in play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Pezet, who was on a deal around $600,000 a season, agreed to join the Eels next year before he is due to join the Brisbane Broncos on a long-term deal from 2027 onwards. Papenhuyzen, on the other hand, walked away from the final year of his deal worth around $950,000 a season as he looks set to take a year off to get his body right, before likely either joining rebel rugby league R360 or potentially the cashed-up Perth Bears, who are set to enter the NRL in 2027. And it’s presented Melbourne with the unique position of being able to throw life-changing money at basically any player in the NRL not signed already for 2027. That plan is already in motion, with Storm chief executive Justin Rodski publicly declaring the club will go after their key target Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, a former player at the club, while hinting they are eyeing up other stars. “We’ll explore every single option to strengthen our squad and our list,” Rodski said on SEN. “Whether or not it’s someone like Tino – I reckon Tino might come with a hefty price tag on him – we’d love to have him at our club again, but we’ll work through all that, we’ll explore every option. “This is a competitive market, the landscape’s only going to get more difficult with expansion teams coming in, obviously, Perth Bears can start to sign players from November 1, so it’s going to be a really interesting period. “We’ll make sure we’re in there and discussing every single player that can add value to our list and club. “Clearly Tino would be a wonderful asset to any club, and we’d love to explore that. (And) We will.” Tino is top of their wish list, especially given the fact he appears open to leaving the Titans. But he won’t be the only player of interest for the Storm’s rebuild. Papenhuyzen’s exit will likely see them promote young gun Sua Faalogo into the fullback role. The Samoan flyer signed an extension with the Storm until the end of 2028 last season, but it was understood that he had a verbal agreement with Melbourne to allow him to leave if Papenhuyzen re-signed. He now seems likely to get the first shot in the No.1 jersey next year. Another option, if Craig Bellamy wants to go a different way than Faalogo, is potentially targeting Wests Tigers star Jahream Bula. Bula is also free to speak to rivals come November 1, and negotiations with the Tigers are stuttering. Both the Tigers and Bula have the opportunity to trigger an extension clause, which could see the fullback earn up to $900,000 in 2027. But as it stands, neither party has committed to doing so, with Bula weighing up if his future is elsewhere, and the Tigers are unsure if he is worth such a hefty pay packet. However, Melbourne may also look to spend some of their newly freed-up funds to try and lure superstar North Queensland youngster Jaxon Purdue to the club, who is free to negotiate with rivals on November 1. Purdue has shown in his debut year that he is a top talent who can play in the halves and at centre. But after back-to-back grand final defeats, Melbourne will undoubtedly know they need to bolster their forward pack more than anything. While Tino is undoubtedly priority No. 1, they also could also make a play for Rabbitohs star Keaon Koloamatangi. The Rabbitohs forward is entering his prime, and with Souths’ salary cap in need of a restructure, given how top-heavy it is, Koloamatangi could be headed for an exit to earn a big payday. He is currently on around $700,000 a season, but almost certainly would command upwards of $1m a season elsewhere. If Melbourne can’t get the Tino deal over the line for whatever reason, Koloamatangi seems like another top target. While the looming extension of Grant will no doubt take away some of the more than $2m freed up by recent exits, Melbourne are in prime position to sign at least two big names, a scary thought for the rest of the competition in the coming weeks as the November 1 deadline rolls around. Storm chief opens up on Ryan Papenhuyzen’s exit Announcing his exit on Thursday, Melbourne said in a statement that Papenhuyzen would “take a break away from the game to consider his future” as he walked away from the final year of his Storm deal worth close to $1m a season. Speaking on SEN, Storm chief executive Rodski revealed negotiations with Papenhuyzen had been ongoing since the grand final, where he slowly leaned towards taking some time out of the sport. He also had a clause in his contract that was a mutual option for 2027, which had to be activated by November 1. “It started to emerge that perhaps Ryan was looking to take some time out from the game and professional sport, so we worked closely with him on that over that period of time,” Rodski said. “In the end, he came to the decision that his preference would be to seek a release from the club so he could take some time away from the game and professional sport and have a think about what he wants to do, not just sport but life. “ … I actually don’t think he knows (where he’s going next).” While a move to R360 appears most likely, given the whopping $1.5m reportedly on the table for Papenhuyzen, Tripp’s remarks and a recent social media post may hint he could be set to retire from professional sport. Three weeks ago, the 27-year-old shared a cryptic post to social media that read: “Real peace is an inside job. “It comes from understanding that the game, and this life, will never go exactly as you plan. “It comes from understanding that there are forces at play that are beyond you. “It comes from one quiet truth: You gave it everything you had. That’s always a victory.’’ Papenhuyzen has had a torrid run with injuries throughout his career. And despite missing several games in 2025, he still produced one of his best-ever seasons, averaging 127 metres a game and hitting career-highs in tackle busts (85) and offloads (20).