Recently representing the QLD Maroons in the annual U19s State of Origin match, talented five-eighth Stanley Huen has earned his maiden NRL contract.
A member of the Melbourne Storm's pathways system for the past four seasons, Huen's hard work has paid off with the playmaker earning a two-year contract with the club until the end of the 2026 NRL season.
Zero Tackleย can reveal that the deal will see him added to the Storm's development list for the next two seasons, 2025 and 2026.
This will see him join halfback Keagan Russell-Smith on the Storm's development list for next season, with the two having a storied history with one another.
Before making his NRL debut on Thursday, Russell-Smith was Huen's halves partner in his maiden Jersey Flegg Cup match in 2023 after progressing from the SG Ball Cup.
โFor an 18-year-old, Stanley brings a lot of maturity," Melbourne Storm Academy coach Matt Duffie has said of Huen in the past.
โHe has thrived in a position that demands leadership. He also has a thirst to improve his game every day. I am excited about what Stanley can achieve in his career.โ
An Ipswich local, Huen's rugby league journey began at the age of 11 and has shown tremendous leadership throughout his various teams that saw him named the U19s QLD vice-captain in June this year.
Starting by playing backyard footy with his older brothers, the crafty five-eighth moved from Ipswich to Brisbane at 15 and now resides in Melbourne, having moved there at the start of this year.
Away from the football field, Huen is already planning his career beyond rugby league and aims to own his own barber shop.
While competing on the field against some of the best up-and-coming names in the sport, he has undertaken a Certificate III in Barbering through TAFE and loves cutting hair outside of football.
โThe end goal is to hopefully make it in the NRL and open my own barbering business, so my fan base from the NRL feeds into my barber shop business,โ Huen toldย melbournestorm.com.auย in the past.
โI have a backup plan, and it's a pretty good back up plan if you ask me.
โI went to work one day a week during the school term, and then during holidays I would do a block of training at the TAFE Queensland Ipswich campus for a week straight. Plus, just do as much of my work books as I could
โI basically doubled my hours just over the holidays, and I was working every Saturday.
โI didn't think of it as work though. I just thought of it as having fun and spending time with my mates."
