Cooper Bai chooses Storm for 2028 move from Titans
The 20-year-old forward has agreed to a three-year deal with his father Marcus’s former club after being widely expected to join the Chiefs.
Gold Coast forward Cooper Bai will join Melbourne in 2028 under a three-year deal, following another change of plans by the PNG international. The 20-year-old is to spend 2027 with the Titans.
Bai previously signed to play for the Storm, then withdrew from that agreement to remain at Gold Coast. After reconsidering his plans following the 2026 season, he was widely expected to choose the Chiefs instead.
A player swap had been raised as a possible way for Bai to leave the Titans immediately, but his move to Melbourne will now wait until 2028.
Storm football boss Frank Ponissi said Melbourne looked forward to helping Bai develop. He noted that Bai would arrive as the club marked 30 years since its inaugural season in 1998, when his father Marcus played.
Marcus said in October that he had been angry about his son withdrawing from the earlier Storm agreement. He later praised Cooper for asking Gold Coast for permission to visit the Chiefs. A hamstring injury ruled Cooper out of the Kumuls’ World Cup campaign.
