Nelson Asofa-Solomona has officially been scrubbed out of the 2024 NRL Grand Final, meaning Craig Bellamy will face the difficult choice on Tuesday as to who will replace him in the side.
Found guilty by the NRL Judiciary and subsequently suspended for five matches, Bellamy will have to call upon a rookie forward for the most-anticipated match of the season. Asofa-Solomona's exit will see either Joe Chan or Lazarus Vaalepu receive the call-up into the team.
Less than 12 hours before the team list is announced, Vaalepu is emerging as the leading candidate which will see him play off the interchange bench, promoting either Christian Welch or Tui Kamikamica into the starting front-row.
On a salary of $80,000, the 25-year-old initially signed with the Storm on a six-week train and trial contract from the Penrith Panthers but has impressed in a limited timeframe that has seen him contracted until the end of next season.
Debuting in Round 20 against the Sydney Roosters, he has managed one try, five tackle busts, 109.3 post-contact metres, 82 tackles and 270 total running metres in 119 minutes on the field.
If Vaeelepu is overlooked, Joe Chan will enter the team, one week after he played in the NSW Cup Grand Final for the North Sydney Bears falling to the Newtown Jets.
The son of former Storm forward Alex Chan, Joe has managed 12 first-grade appearances in the team over the past two seasons having previously played for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League competition and Saint-Esteve in the Elite One Championship.
Recently he committed to the club on a new contract that will see him remain in Victoria until the end of the 2028 NRL season.
โIt's such a great opportunity that the club has given me and being offered a new contract is a sign for me that they have faith in me and that my hard work is paying off,โ Chan said at the time.
โI wouldn't be here today without my family's support and sacrifices along the way and they are so happy for me getting this chance.
โMy Mum, in particular, has been a big part of my journey. She has given up a lot and is the rock of the family. She gave up her dream job as a teacher's aide at a primary school when our family moved to France.
โI love that I can build a future at such a good club with my flatmate and best mate Alec (Macdonald). Even though it's considered work playing footy, I'm having fun and making lifelong friends.โ
