Melbourne Storm confirm co-captains for 2022
Melbourne Storm have confirmed front-row partners Jesse Bromwich and Christian Welch as co-captains for 2022.
Bromwich, 32, shared the captaincy duties with Dale Finucane last season. The pair led the club to the minor premiership as well as tying the all-time premiership record of 19 consecutive victories.
Finucane has joined Cronulla Sharks for the 2022 season, allowing Welch to step up into the role.
Welch, 27, has made more than 100 appearances for Melbourne since his debut in 2015. He has also represented Queensland six times in State of Origin.
The forward has been a member of Storm’s leadership group for the past two seasons after being promoted from the emerging leaders group. He was also captain of the club’s under-20s team in the 2014 season.
Joining the two captains in the 2022 leadership group are Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and last year’s Storm Player of the Year, Jahrome Hughes.
Jesse Bromwich honoured to lead Melbourne Storm
Bromwich, a veteran of 272 NRL matches with Storm with three premiership victories, said he was honoured to lead the club in his final season.
“I’m very thankful to Craig and Frank for entrusting me with the captaincy again this season,” he said.
“It’s a role I cherish and really enjoyed last year, although we didn’t have the ending we were after.
“It is something unusual to have two front-rowers captaining a team. But I believe the different qualities we can bring to the positions will really assist us as the season rolls on.
“I’m sure Christian will prove to be a great captain of Storm. I’m looking forward to the contributions we can make to the club’s on and off-field efforts in 2022.”
Bromwich will join NRL’s newest side Dolphins in 2023. He will be joined by brother and Melbourne team-mate Kenny.
Welch: ‘It’s been a huge part of my life’
On the appointment, Welch added: “I’ve been fortunate to be part of this club for a decade now. It’s been a huge part of my life.
“Being captain, especially alongside Jesse, is a great honour and it was something of a surprise to be asked by Craig to do the job this year.
“Storm puts on a lot of onus on developing our leadership skills. I feel like I’m really well prepared to step into the role from round one next week.”
READ MORE: “It’s a waste of time developing players” – NRL club chief slams Dolphins move
