Chase Stanley injury adds to Melbourne Storm woes
THE pre-season injury curse has struck Melbourne Storm again with boom recruit Chase Stanley undergoing a shoulder reconstruction that could keep him out for the first 10 weeks of the season.
Stanley, recruited from the St George Illawarra Dragons to fill one of the vacant outside back positions, hurt himself in a training drill on Monday and joins three teammates already doing recovery for shoulder injuries.
Coach Craig Bellamy said Stanley would almost certainly have been in the 22-man squad travelling to the UK for the World Club Championship.
"It was a a bit of a pre-existing injury but he hurt it again. It's about three or four months out, it's not good. We've had a lot of operations," Bellamy said.
Storm are already resigned to being without premiership players Cooper Cronk, Brett White and Ryan Tandy for the start of the season as well as giant recruit John Kite.
Injuries are weighing heavily on Bellamy's mind and he is fearing more disasters happening to his players involved in the upcoming All Star game.
Storm internationals Greg Inglis, Adam Blair and skipper Cameron Smith are definite starters for the February 13 game on the Gold Coast while Billy Slater is leading the public vote for the final spots.
All four only returned to training last week after playing in the successful Four Nations tournament last November.
While a supporter of the concept of the All Star game, Bellamy couldn't be any more disappointed with the timing, or the number of players he has involved.
It was supposed to be only one player per club involved in the All Star team and Bellamy just hopes they all get nursed through.
"The four likely guys that are going to be in it all played overseas at the end of the season and have had three weeks training before the game, which is ridiculous. They are in great danger of getting hurt," Bellamy said.
"Three weeks preparation, especially for a game that is going to be as intense as that, we are a bit worried about that."
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