We take a closer look at Lazarus Vaalepu, the man Craig Bellamy and Melbourne Storm are tasking with replacing Nelson Asofa-Solomona for the grand final against Penrith.

After a horror run of serious leg and ankle injuries, the 26-year-old fullback declared he was back at top speed and in the same form that brought him the 2020 Clive Churchill Medal as best player in Melbourne’s last grand final win, which came against Penrith.

The Storm have suffered a monumental blow with man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona to miss Sunday’s grand final showdown with Penrith after he failed in his bid to have a grade three careless high tackle reduced at the judiciary.

Melbourne Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona must fight a suspension at the NRL judiciary or miss next Sunday's grand final.

Melbourne, as expected, will contest next week’s NRL Grand Final after turning over the Sydney Roosters 46-18 on home turf at AAMI Park. Jahrome Hughes, as expected, was the best player on the ground and it will be a minor miracle if anyone else wins the Dally M Medal on Wednesday.

The Melbourne Storm have bounced back from a sin-binning in the opening seconds of their clash with the Sydney Roosters to return to the NRL grand final with a thumping 48-18 win at AAMI Park. Superstar halfback Jahrome Hughes made one last statement before Dally M Medal night on Wednesday with a hat-trick of tries on Friday night,

Melbourne have qualified for their first NRL grand final since 2020 after beating the Sydney Roosters 48-18 at AAMI Park.

Craig Bellamy’s Storm take on Trent Robinson’s Roosters in an elimination final at AAMI Park. Follow all the action