The Melbourne Storm had their pants pulled down during the 2023 finals series, and without a great deal of talent on the way in for 2024, it could be November 1 which paves the way for the club to add the pieces they need.
Salary cap, as with any club hosting a massive big four like the Storm do, is going to be an issue.
But if there is any club that have a track record of being able to sign players without prior success and turn them into stars playing well above their value, then it is the Storm.
Their own recruitment, as it seemed to be last year, and has been again over the last 12 months, has seemingly been impacted though by the lingering doubt which hangs over Craig Bellamy, who is on a year to year deal to remain coach of the successful Victorian-based outfit.
But what can the Storm realistically hope to achieve, and what do they desperately need when the clock strikes November 1?
In this series, Zero Tackle are running the rule over every club and their top five targets for November 1
Current squad for 2025
Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Xavier Coates, Sua Fa'alogo, Bronson Garlick, Harry Grant, Jack Howarth, Jahrome Hughes, Tui Kamikamica, Eliesa Katoa, Josh King, Trent Loiero, Alec MacDonald, Cameron Munster, Justin Olam, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Jonah Pezet, Lazarus Vaalepu, Will Warbrick, Christian Welch, Tyran Wishart
Current best 17 for 2025
1. Ryan Papenhuyzen
2. Xavier Coates
3. Justin Olam
4. Jack Howarth
5. Will Warbrick
6. Cameron Munster
7. Jahrome Hughes
8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
9. Harry Grant
10. Tui Kamikamica
11. Eliesa Katoa
12. Trent Loiero
13. Josh King
14. Bronson Garlick
15. Tyran Wishart
16. Alec MacDonald
17. Christian Welch
Players not in 17: Jonah Pezet, Sua Fa'alogo
Players off-contract at end of 2024
Tom Eisenhuth, Nick Meaney, Aaron Pene, Marion Seve, Reimis Smith
Here are five players available to negotiate on November 1 from outside of the club the Storm could target for 2025 and beyond.
EVERY PLAYER OFF-CONTRACT AT THE END OF 2024
It's clear that the Storm need forwards, but not ones who are going to break the bank given their salary cap position.
They also don't need big barnstorming forwards. They have those. Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Tui Kamikamica are among the best in the competition.
Rudolf, who has been excellent for the Sharks in recent times, presents the perfect middle ground on both of those points.
His ability to play big minutes and defend well, as well as add some footwork and an offload, means he is likely to be a target for a number of clubs. The Storm should be on that list, given their current situation in the forwards.
We will touch on the plight of centres in Melbourne a little later in this piece, but the fact of the matter is they simply haven't been up to scratch throughout 2023.
That, it would be fair to say, leaves a lot of questions around the future of the Melbourne three-quarters and where they may look to focus some energy from November 1 in revitalising certain areas of the squad.
The added ability Aitken brings, though is that he isn't just a centre and has the ability to potentially knock two birds out with one stone if he were to join the Storm.
Melbourne doesn't need starting second-rowers, though. Trent Loiero and Eliesa Katoa are both on contract through 2025.
But if Aitken isn't going to crack the starting centres, he could still play from the bench with multiple positions up his sleeve and is good enough to start at either.
This, to me, seems a no-brainer for the Storm.
Harris is a former Storm player and would provide his last club with exactly what they need if he wants to go around again in 2025.
Experience.
Money is going to be a question for the Storm attempting to sign anyone within the class of Harris, but they need to make a splash for at least one experienced, strong forward.
If one thing became evident in 2023, it was that the losses of Kenneath Bromwich, Jesse Browmich, Felise Kaufusi and Brandon Smith out of the forward pack at the same time were simply too much to deal with.
They will be better for the run, granted, but 2025 still represents a time when they need a calm head to come in and control the middle third.
Harris leaving the Warriors might seem like a long shot, but if any club could make a likely case for it, it's the Storm.
As mentioned in the intro of this piece, the Storm have a rare ability to turn players, particularly forwards, into the best versions of themselves.
One of the players in the crop coming off-contract at the end of 2024 who just screams Melbourne Storm player more than any other is Michael Molo.
The St George Illawarra Dragons forward has shown enormous potential in his first-grade time to date, although some of it hasn't quite been realised in a struggling outfit who have a number of forwards fighting to get their way into the rotation.
Molo is one player I'd be expecting to go from strength to strength under Shane Flanagan in 2024, and he could have a few suitors from November 1 if the Dragons fail to lock him up.
All the talk heading into the 2024 campaign is that Taylan May's return from an ACL injury will see him shift into the centres at the foot of the mountains, with Brian To'o and rookie Sunia Turuva hanging onto their wing positions.
And it makes plenty of sense.
May is built like a house and has all the skills and attributes to make a successful move into the centres.
And that could well speak to the Storm, who have had almost as many issues in the centres over the last 12 months as they have in the forwards.
While Justin Olam is still pencilled in to be at the club in 2025, the whispers around his future seemingly get louder by the week after 2023 which saw him dropped from first grade.
The rest of the clubs centres haven't lived up to the billing, and Reimis Smith is also off-contract at the end of 2024.
While Aitken's ability to play both positions was a tick, May playing a year at centre in the Panthers system before shifting to the Storm could be exactly what's needed in the Victorian capital.