Melbourne's push to reclaim Zac Lomax has intensified after the Storm lost winger Xavier Coates to injury.
Melbourne confirmed early Friday that Coates will need surgery just weeks before the opener against Parramatta and faces a layoff covering roughly the first nine rounds, about two months.
The problem echoes the injury that forced the Maroons' star to miss last year's Ashes tour in England after Melbourne's grand-final defeat to Brisbane.
"Unfortunately, he has not been able to progress as we would have hoped," Melbourne's football director Frank Ponissi said.
"With the season fast approaching, surgery has been determined as the best course of action.
"While it is disappointing for Xavier, we know he will approach the next phase of his rehab with his usual professionalism and hard work, supported by the outstanding medical and performance staff."
Lomax also pulled out of Australia's Ashes squad last October when he withdrew ahead of a planned switch to the breakaway R360 competition.
The postponement of that rival league has left Melbourne eager to reintegrate the flyer into the NRL, a move that now carries extra weight for their campaign.
The Storm are locked in an ugly legal battle with Parramatta over Lomax's services, with the matter set to return to the NSW Supreme Court early next month.
The result of that hearing could be decisive for Melbourne as they attempt to plug the hole left by Coates and stabilise their wing options.