How Melbourne Storm star Cooper Cronk’s exit will affect Australia’s most imposing football club

WHILE everyone in rugby league is trying to work out where Cooper Cronk will end up next year, the bigger story remains for the outfit he leaves behind.

COOPER Cronk is moving for love. Wonderful stuff.

A warm, welcoming headline, too, for a code whose greatest romance this past year has been Aaron Woods and Dave Klemmer.

But what of Melbourne?

For while all of League Land is trying to work out where this Kangaroo No.7 will land next year — Parramatta, Canterbury, Wests Tigers, maybe even his own couch at Fox Sports studios — the bigger story remains that outfit he leaves behind.

For could this be the end of Australia’s greatest footy club?

CRONK’S SHOCK MOVE: ‘It’s time I put someone else first’

CONTENDERS: Which Sydney club will snare Cooper Cronk

DEPARTURE: Cronk’s emotional tribute to ‘the big three’

Remembering that in the 14 years since his somewhat innocuous NRL arrival, Cooper Patrick Cronk has become a key component in a side that wins titles, has them stripped, then simply goes and wins more.

Billy Slater, Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk celebrate Melbourne’s 2012 NRL premiership.

A premiership force which, no matter your take on their salary cap sins or WrestleMania tactics, has continually proved itself league’s blueprint club.

Not just the best in rugby league, either. But arguably the greatest club among all four winter codes.

And for some time, there has been no foreseeable end to this purple reign. Until now.

Indeed, apart from Cronk leaving at the end of this season, there is also a real chance 2017 will be the last for resurrected fullback Billy Slater.

Especially if this mob were to win one more title together.

Cronk announces his move to Sydney in 2018. Photo: Tony Gough

Elsewhere, the biggest member of the Big Three, skipper Cam Smith, now has two of those numerals for his age. While coach Craig Bellamy, too, has long suggested 2018, at the latest, will see him out.

So what will the future look like for whichever halfback chooses to replace Cronk?

For once, signing with the Storm was the smartest rugby league decision outside kick long and to the corners. Still might be.

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For no matter what happens to Cronk, Melbourne will still have a strong ownership group, quality board and real talent in players like Jesse Bromwich and Cameron Munster.

But still, the Big Three they ain’t.

Which is why any incoming seven must know, finally, this Storm juggernaut is changing.

And yes, yes, yes ... the ‘End is Coming’ headline has been screamed previously.

But then Bellamy would go haul a couple of bodies from the NRL scrapheap, sprinkle on some fairy dust and — BOOM — Jaiman Lowe and Bryan Norrie had themselves premiership rings.

It’s the end of an era for Melbourne. Photo: Brendan Francis

But now, finally, we see there may be an end point to this imposing interstate force, after all.

And it could arrive as quickly as October.

Indeed, given the way Melbourne players so famously lifts for milestone matches, how likely now that the farewells of Cronk and, possibly, Slater will drive them to the decider?

For when it comes to rugby league love stories, nothing beats the one Melbourne has with winning.