Jahrome Hughes will miss the side's semi-final with the Roosters, with the Storm halfback suffering a calf injury in the lead-up to the clash.
The 28-year-old returned from a short layoff due to an MCL strain last weekend against the Broncos, but the side fell 26-0 and will now enter a sudden-death situation at AAMI Park on Friday night.
It is a major blow for Melbourne, who will also be missing Ryan Papenhuyzen and Xavier Coates due to ankle injuries, while centre Young Tonumaipea is out due to a facial injury.
The confirmed replacement in the halfback role is Tyran Wishart, with rookie playmaker Jonah Pezet left out of the 22-man squad named on Tuesday.
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Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes confirmed to miss semi-final
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Craig Bellamy admitted Hughes was "unlikely" to feature against the Tricolours, with the club confirming his omission later that night.
“[He has] done a little bit of running this morning, but we‘ll just see how he pulls up,” the coach said.
“To be honest, he‘s probably unlikely, but we’ll just see how he pulls up this afternoon after the run.
"We’ve also got a couple of other options we can use... there‘s obviously a bit of shuffling going on. Whether the less shuffling, the better, or the more shuffling the better - but we‘ve got a plan that hopefully we’ll be able to stick to.”
Who has replace Jahrome Hughes for Storm?
Tyran Wishart will come into the halves after being included in the Storm's 22-man squad.
Other potential options included Nick Meaney shifting to five-eighth, Cameron Munster lining up at halfback and young gun Sua Faalago coming into the side at fullback, but that has not come to fruition.
Jonah Pezet and Jayden Nikorima - the other two halfback options on the Melbourne roster - were both excluded from the squad Bellamy named on Tuesday afternoon.
