Melbourne insist George Rose will see out the remainder of his one-year deal with the Storm, despite claims the prop had sought a release from the NRL club.

Reports emerged on Wednesday that Rose had been struggling with living away from his Sydney-based family since his shift from Manly and wanted to return home.

The Storm later denied he was leaving, but stopped short of confirming whether Rose had sought a release.

“George is a valued player at the Melbourne Storm and will remain a key member of our 2014 squad,” Storm football director Frank Ponissi said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The club’s player welfare team has worked closely with George to assist with his transition from Sydney and will continue to do so for the remainder of the season.”

The 31-year-old has averaged barely 20 minutes in four NRL games since his move south in the off-season.

According to Fairfax, Melbourne were not keen to let Rose go after front-rower Jordan McLean was suspended for seven matches for his tackle on Newcastle’s Alex McKinnon.