Christian Welch may have shed a few kilograms but he's determined to prove the Melbourne pack can still be viewed as one of the heavyweights of the NRL competition.
Following last year's round-one Achilles injury, Welch is preparing to make his comeback on Sunday in Geelong in the Storm's first pre-season match against the Sydney Roosters.
Looking ahead, Melbourne open their season against 2022 grand finalists Parramatta, which Welch described as an early litmus test after the side lost almost 800 games worth of experience through the departure of Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Brandon Smith and Felise Kaufusi.
Some pundits have predicted Melbourne could struggle without the representative quartet but Welch said such criticism had fired him up.
"Round one, we're taking on the grand finalists and particularly for me as a front rower, they've got one of the best forward packs in the competition with Campbell Gillard and Junior Paulo," Welch said.
"It's exciting having people say, 'Oh, they've lost the Bromwich brothers, they've lost Kaufusi, they're going to be a bit soft through the middle'.
"It's got me a little bit fired up and I know all the boys that are in our ruck unit, we're excited about getting out there ... hopefully we can prove a few people wrong.
"Us forwards, we know if we can set a platform we've got one of the best spines in the competition, exciting backs, we've got a great team."
The 28-year-old said he'd lost about five kilograms through the off-season to weigh in at 107kg, which he thought might help him play more minutes.
With the likes of Nelson Asofa-Solomona, newly re-signed Tui Kamikamica and Tepai Moeroa all tipping over 110kg, Welch said he didn't need to add more bulk to his frame.
"Just with the way the game's going and the monsters we've got in the forward pack, I thought I don't need to be too big."
Welch was co-captain with Jesse Bromwich last year despite spending the bulk of it on the sidelines.
He said he wanted to retain the leadership role with the help of other senior players such as Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Ryan Papenhuyzen, whom he felt all offered something unique to the side.
The Queensland Origin selection said last year's injury was tough on his mind as well as body but he was in a good space ahead of his return to action.
"I'm loving life at the moment - it's the best thing in the world taking the field," Welch said.
"I'm really excited about this week, but I'm also a bit nervous.
"I've had a big off-season where I feel like I've put a lot of work in and I feel really confident going forward.
"Obviously it's been about 12 months since I've played a game of footy and obviously there are risks associated with it but I'm really excited to get out there and hope to have a good long year ahead."
