Braith Anasta flags 'huge couple of weeks' for star clients as Storm face painful roster overhaul

As the sun sets on Melbourne Storm's second straight grand final loss, it will now rise on the club's roster.

The brains trust at Melbourne will now consider what it will take to go from grand finalists to premiers.

Luckily for the Storm, possible solutions are already within the four walls at the club.

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The club must consider players like Jonah Pezet and Sualauvi Fa'alogo who have been waiting in the wings and will undoubtedly press for a move if they are not pushed up the pecking order.

Melbourne's problem is Ryan Papenhuyzen has one more year on his deal, so that decision is unlikely to have an impact on next season.

Fa'alogo is signed until 2028, and it's clear Melbourne sees him as the future.

Papenhuyzen is a premiership winner and integral figure at the Storm but his injury history appears to have impacted his speed.

There are reports that R360 could be where he lands. But that won't be until after the 2026 season.

Cameron Munster is a peculiar situation too. He's contracted until the end of 2027 but the drums are beating on a Perth Bears move. That would require him to leave a year early.

Munster and Pezet's agent, Braith Anasta, foreshadowed what's to come on Fox's NRL 360.

"Huge couple of weeks," he said.

Pezet can execute a clause to leave the Storm immediately after Jahrome Hughes re-signed, and there's no shortage of clubs needing a halfback.

"I've got a lot of work to do the next couple of weeks ... he loves Melbourne and he went there for a reason, he's loved everything he's done there and it's positioned him into the player he is," Anasta said.

"But he's also more than ready and he's been so patient, (but) how long can he keep waiting?"

Then there's Munster.

Prior to the grand final, Storm chairman Matt Tripp told The Sydney Morning Herald he doesn't want the five-eighth to leave.

"The priority for me for him is to be happy, and I hope that's being happy at Melbourne. We will work all that out over the next few weeks, but at this stage I want him finishing with us," he said.

That's an easy solution for the Storm. He's contracted, and unless they give him permission, can't negotiate with Perth for 2027. The club has the power.

But 2028? That's a different story, and a long way into the future.

How the Storm want to handle it will be intriguing.

Does Pezet get a loan deal for next year before taking over from Munster in 2027. Or does Pezet decide he's done waiting around and trigger an exit that would ensure the Storm loses a future talent.

It's a four-player puzzle that faces the Storm, and it grows into a five-player puzzle, or even six.

Forming another part of the picture is the enforcer: Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

The prop's situation has been bubbling away for over a year with speculation rife that Melbourne are looking for a way out.

In 2023, Asofa-Solomona extended until the end of 2027, with a reported mutual option for 2028. His salary is reportedly $850,000-a-season.

It's a lot of money for someone who hasn't played a full season over the last two years.

This year he played 12 matches and missed the grand final again.

It's a decent argument that a full strength, in form Asofa-Solomona can make Melbourne premiers.

But he hasn't been there when they need him.

The sixth player? Tino Fa'asuamaleaui.

He will be a free agent once November 1 arrives and the thought of the big prop returning to Melbourne is romantic.

But can they afford it with Asofa-Solomona taking up so much cap space?

Doubtful. And Melbourne would have to chip in if he left. So far, no suitors are coming forward.

Post the salary cap scandal, Melbourne's management of its expenditure has been brilliant.

The big money sits in the spine and the diamonds in the rough come around them.

But this is one contract they may look back on with regret.

In an ideal world, Asofa-Solomona returns to form and finds the balance between aggression and discipline.

In an ideal world, Papenhuzyen has the perfect off-season, ready to charge for possibly one last year in purple.

And in an ideal world, Munster stays, Pezet goes on loan for two years and then takes over the five-eighth position.

But there's no room for hypotheticals in rugby league. And there's no room for patience.

Premierships don't wait and the clouds are hovering.