Justin Olam

Key points:

• Justin Olam was dropped from the Storm in round 21 after they lost to Newcastle
• The centre says he was looking forward to heading home to PNG thinking his season was done
• Melbourne brought him back for the semi-final against the Roosters, which they won 18-13

The Papua New Guinea star struggled to find his explosive best this year after a series of injury setbacks curtailed his pre-season.

Olam's axing after the Storm's round 21 defeat to Newcastle seemed to spell the end for him in first grade 2023.

The Melbourn Storm Center made this statement on Thursday, July 6^th, when he was formally made the new Brand Ambassador for the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority.

Olam will take a center stage for TV, Online Videos and Print Publications for TPA. While these may be some of his responsibilities, there are two main objectives for the Tourism Brand Ambassador;

Olam walked off the field with a fractured arm in last Sunday’s preseason game with Roosters; a mega-blow for the Storm.

Melbourne Storm confirmed the news on Monday morning of his injury. “Scans taken late yesterday (Sunday) have confirmed that Storm Centre Justin Olam suffered a fractured forearm in the pre-season match against the Roosters in Geelong. Justin will undergo surgery which will then provide a clearer indication on his recovery period. The current estimation is he will be sidelined for six weeks,” the club stated.

The 29-year-old was taken from the field just six minutes into the match with his right arm wrapped in his jersey as a makeshift sling.

The Storm centre will be sent for scans to confirm the full extent of the injury.

Meanwhile, Roosters utility Connor Watson is facing six months on the sideline after suffering a ruptured patella tendon during pre-season training.

After initially fearing he may miss the entire 2023 season, Watson has revealed the surgery was a success and he could be back on the field around August.

The Storm centre spruiks health insurance from a billboard here, coffee from the side of a bus there, then superannuation and investment policies on the way into the country’s capital.

By weight of numbers alone, Olam makes a compelling case as the NRL’s most popular man with a rugby league-mad nation of almost nine million.

A couple of ‘Justin Olam fan club’ Facebook pages boast more than 240,000 combined followers, trumping the tallies of entire clubs like Canberra, Manly and Cronulla among others.

The Papua New Guinea Kumuls star, who has locked down Storm’s left centre position in the past three seasons, joins captain Christian Welch, Jahrome Hughes, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Harry Grant, Xavier Coates, Reimis Smith and Jack Howarth in committing to Storm long-term in recent months.

One of the most damaging ball runners and hardest hitters in the NRL, Olam’s renewed contract runs until the end of the 2026 season, bringing his time with Storm to 10 seasons.

After launching his career at the Broncos with 17 tries in 32 games since debuting as an 18-year-old in 2019, Coates has made the move south to join fellow PNG Kumul Olam in a star studded Storm backline.

"From the first session we did, Juzzy and I clicked straight away from our cultural background," Oates said.

"I am not really an aggressive sort of player but it’s good to have him next to me and it makes you feel comfortable and you trust him.

The appointment was announced by the Minister for Climate Change and Environment-Conservation Wera Mori on Friday 18^th February.  Olam who is in the country on compassionate leave, accepted the invitation to be the Climate Change Ambassador.

Minister Mori thanked Olam for taking on this challenge for a very critical cause.

That’s not a usual topic of conversation in an interview with a rugby league player.

Then again Olam isn’t your conventional rugby league player.

If anything, Justin Olam shouldn’t even be a rugby league player.

Little, if anything at all, about Olam’s journey to this point has been conventional.

Olam, 27, has endured a standout season with Melbourne, who are one win away from back-to-back grand final appearances.

Just last month, rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns declared Olam "the best centre in the world" on the back of his form this year.