NRL player returns to his roots after overcoming injures

A SUCCESSFUL return from facial injuries has cemented Ballina junior Nick Meaney’s place in the Melbourne Storm side as the NRL club faces a testing month.

Meaney, who grew up playing for the Ballina Seagulls, recently returned home to take part in the club’s old boys’ day at Kingsford Smith Park.

It was a rare chance to freshen up ahead of the second State of Origin match, with several Storm stars expected to miss NRL duties during the representative round. Storm coach Craig Bellamy is also serving as an advisor to the NSW Blues.

Meaney returned to action just five weeks after fracturing his cheekbone and eye socket, with the help of specially designed headgear.

“I didn’t like the headgear at all, but it obviously did its job and gave me the confidence to put my head in scary places again,” Meaney said.

“I’m feeling good now, I’ve been lucky with injuries compared to some of the other boys in the team.”

The 27-year-old has played centre, five-eighth, wing and fullback in a career spanning nearly 150 NRL games for the Canterbury Bulldogs, Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm.

“We have a really strong culture at the Storm, we all know what to do when people are away and our standards never drop,” he said.

“The way the game is going, it’s handy to have a few guys in the team who can cover multiple positions.”

Off the field, the former St John’s College Woodlawn student is settled with his wife Shania and their sons Rome and Reign.

Rugby league runs in the family — his grandfather Denis Meaney played for Manly and Western Suburbs before becoming an influential coach on the Northern Rivers.

Nick won back-to-back premierships with Ballina in 2014 and 2015 before making his NRL debut with the Bulldogs in 2018.

“This is one of the only chances I’ve had to come back to Ballina to watch a game,” he said.

“I’d love to get out there again one day and it was great to see a lot of the same people are still involved at the club.”