Melbourne Storm are backing Nick Meaney to fill the huge void left by the absence of Ryan Papenhuyzen when they face Penrith in the Magic Round.
Storm are priced at 6/5 to beat the Panthers but will have to do so without Papenhuyzen who is facing up to six weeks on the sidelines with knee and hamstring injuries.
Meaney the man
The loss of such an influential player is a big blow to the Storm but they believe that Meaney is more than capable of standing in and doing a great job.
Meaney has already filled in when Papenhuyzen was sidelined with an ankle injury and Jahrome Hughes is backing him to do so again.
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"Obviously Paps (Papenhuyzen) had a bit of injury in the pre-season, so Nick's done a lot of work there and we have confidence. Nick is going to take a lot of confidence, he's been great," Hughes said.
"He's been great all year, he's been thrown in a couple of different positions. I know he's normally a fullback but he's played on the wing and in the halves for us so it will be good for him to get his time at fullback."
Seve return
The Storm will also welcome back Marion Seve who has recovered from a serious knee injury and will help cover the loss of Reimis Smith.
"It's good to see him playing, he has had had a pretty tough couple years," Hughes added. "Obviously, it's devastating to see what happened to Reimis but hopefully Maz (Seve) can get his opportunity and do a great job."
