Melbourne Storm has today outlined their football department staff for the 2016 season.

Over the past six weeks, Head Coach Craig Bellamy and Football Director Frank Ponissi have worked hard to secure the best coaching and performance personnel available.

The Club is excited by the skills and talent of the new staff coming into the organisation and the ideas they will bring.

Former Storm prop and Australian international Jason Ryles has been appointed as an assistant coach (forwards), taking over from Justin Morgan.

Ryles enjoyed an NRL career spanning 13 years playing 249 first grade games. He spent two years with Storm before retiring at the end of 2014. For the last two seasons Ryles has coached West Wollongong in the Illawarra competition, taking them to a Grand Final appearance this season. Ryles joins Adam O’Brien, who will enter his third season as the Club’s backs coach, as Storm’s two assistant coaches.

Marc Brentnall has been promoted to the role of NRL Development Coach, replacing Anthony Seibold. Brentnall has spent the last three seasons with Storm’s NYC team, this past season as head coach. Brentnall’s role is focused on working with the younger players of the Club’s playing roster and also feeder teams Brisbane Easts and Sunshine Coast Falcons.

In further news, the Club has appointed Dean Benton to the newly created position of Director of Performance. The role will oversee the performance and medical departments.

Benton brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Storm with an extensive history of running elite and successful strength and conditioning programs. Benton has worked in both rugby union and rugby league having spent time at the Brisbane Broncos, ACT Brumbies, and Leicester Tigers. He also has worked with the AIS, Queensland Academy of Sport and Athletics Australia.

Adam Basil has been appointed to the position of Performance Coach – Conditioning. He brings over 15 years’ experience to the role having most recently worked at St Kilda FC as High Performance Manager and Melbourne Victory as Strength and Conditioning Manager.

Basil joins Dan Di Pasqua Performance Coach – Strength, who has been at the Club for nine years and Tim Rogers as Performance Coach - Rehabilitation as the other members of the physical performance team under Benton.

In further movements, Meirion Jones accepts the position of Head Physiotherapist after the departure of Tony Ayoub, who returned home to Sydney for family reasons.

Jones held the same position at Essendon Football Club while having also worked in the Super League with Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants as head physio including a five year stint as head physio with the England Rugby League team and Leeds rugby union.

Jones will work closely with Club Doctor Jason Chan and part-time physio Andrew Nawrocki in managing the medical welfare of players in the NRL squad.

Matthew Barradeen takes on the role of Training and Logistics Manager (formerly Head Trainer) having worked in rugby league for 18 years. During this time, Barradeen has worked with the NRL All Stars team, Junior Kangaroos, Qld Origin team, Prime Ministers XIII and Ipswich Jets.

The Club has also made several appointments to its Storm Academy program based on the Sunshine Coast.

Eric Smith has been appointed as NYC Head Coach following his experience coaching young talent. Smith was NYC assistant coach this season and prior to that worked as an assistant with Storm feeder club Brisbane Easts.

Craig Ingebrigsten will join the NYC team as Operations Manager. Over the last four years Ingebrigsten has coached the Brisbane Easts Intrust Cup team, next season will see him oversee all operational matters relating to the 20s as well as coach the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

Matt Adamson will continue as Queensland Coaching Director as well as head the Storm Academy.

All staff have commenced their roles with Melbourne Storm as planning is under way for the start of Storm’s pre-season in November.