Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has confirmed centre Reimis Smith is the latest to join the club’s injury ward with a rib injury.
Smith failed to complete Sunday evening’s loss to the Newcastle Knights after leaving the field injured during the 14-12 loss.
While the coach couldn’t confirm what was wrong, he said they couldn’t inject the injury.
“Yeah, I think he had something wrong with his rib, I’m not exactly sure,” Bellamy said during his post-game press conference.
“It’s obviously not a cartilage, because apparently they said they couldn’t inject it, which usually happens to someone who gets a cartilage.”
That was the only fresh injury for the Storm, but Smith could yet join a long list of players sidelined which includes Cameron Munster and Nelson Asofa-Solomona, while Jahrome Hughes also missed Sunday evening’s game against the Knights.
Asofa-Solomona returned through the NSW Cup with the North Sydney Bears on Sunday, but Bellamy admitted the towering forward hasn’t trained much and may need more time ahead of his NRL return.
“We’ve got a bye next week, so I’m not quite sure where everybody is at the moment,” Bellamy said.
“Nelson played with the Bears today, so he’s been out for a while, he hasn’t done a lot of training, so he might need a little bit more time, but hopefully we get Joey Chan back for the next game too.”
Bellamy did confirm however that Asofa-Solomona will return through the middle rather than on the edge once he is fit.
“If I had to answer that now, I’d say in the middle,” Bellamy said.
“At the end of the day, I thought Shawn (Blore) done a really good job today. That was his debut for us. And I thought he done a real good job. I didn’t really think he’d play as long as he did, but he did. And I thought he done a really good job.
“So I think we’ve got a pretty good player there. So we just need to give him some time there. And obviously, Eliesa has made the right side his own. So yeah, like I say, I was real happy with Shawn tonight and I think the players were as well.”
Munster’s injury is the key one for the Storm however with no clear path set for his return.
While the Storm have hoped he would be fit to play again after the upcoming bye, fresh doubt was cast over that last week when hot mic audio was accidentally broadcast on SEN Radio showing Cameron Smith suggesting the club have “no idea” when he would be fit.
Bellamy seemed to back that version of events up during his post-game press conference with a simple “I’m not sure. No idea,” response when quizzed.
The Storm have the bye next weekend, before hosting the Brisbane Broncos in Round 5 on Thursday, April 4.
