Storm Great Raises Concerns About Finals Prospects

Billy Slater, a legendary figure in the NRL, has expressed his skepticism regarding the Melbourne Storm's ability to secure a spot in the finals this season.

The team is grappling with a series of challenges, including injuries and a disappointing losing streak earlier in the season. Notably, two key players, Harry Grant and Cameron Munster, are sidelined, which raises concerns over the Storm potentially missing the finals for the first time since 2010-a year marked by a salary cap scandal that significantly impacted their performance.

The 2026 season has seen the Storm undergo notable changes, particularly after facing back-to-back grand final losses against the Penrith Panthers in 2024 and the Brisbane Broncos in 2025.

Currently sitting three wins shy of the top eight with just six games left in the season, the team still harbors a slim hope of competing in an elimination match as September draws nearer.

Slater suggests it may be wise to reconsider the team's chances this year.

"Melbourne still have a mathematical chance, and it's still in their hands if they win every game from here and they still have a bye up their sleeve," he remarked on Nine's The Billy Slater Podcast after the Storm's defeat to South Sydney in Round 21.

"But if you look at the health of the footy team, both of their wingers in [Will] Warbrick and Coates are out, you've had the cruel blow with Eli Katoa and [Shawn] Blore has been injured throughout most of the season.

"You've got Jahrome Hughes carrying a hamstring injury and doesn't look 100 percent, Harry Grant went down with a hamstring injury on the weekend, and he's gonna miss some weeks, and Cameron Munster is still a few weeks away.

"It just looks like a really big task for them to win every game."