Big change Storm has made to ensure long-term success

It may seem like just a name change, but the Melbourne Storm is confident a rebrand of its junior system will have long-lasting benefits.

Frank Ponissi has been working hard to improve the Storm’s pathways. Picture: NRL Photos

Moves by leading NSW high schools to grab talented young Victorian rugby league players has motivated the Melbourne Storm to improve in one key area as it looks to secure long-term success.

Six Victorian players, all under the age of 15 years of age, have recently been recruited by Keebra High School, with some aged just 13 and a seventh could soon be on the way north, too.

It’s why the NRL powerhouse recently moved to strengthen pathways for local Victorian players by making a significant change to its junior teams.

The Thunderbolts will now be called the Melbourne Storm in SG Ball and Jersey Flegg. Picture: Dylan Arvela

Melbourne’s SG Ball and Jersey Flegg sides had been known as the Thunderbolts since they joined the NSWRL in 2019, but they’ve been rebranded under the Melbourne Storm banner from next season onwards.

It’s a big move and the club hopes emerging players will see it as a clear pathway to take them from junior competition all the way through to the NRL in the Storm system.

That’s been an issue for a number of years, with Mahe Fonua, Young Tonumaipea, Richie Kennar and Dean Ieremia the only Victorian players to come through the local system to represent the Storm.

“We’re coming up to 25 years in the competition next year, and in 25 years, we’ve only had four players that have come from the Victorian system to play for the Melbourne Storm,” general manager of football Frank Ponissi told NCA NewsWire.

“We don’t think that’s good enough, so we need to change that.

“We need to give young blokes an opportunity to play in a Melbourne Storm jersey and under that name from a younger age than what we’ve been doing. It’s all part of giving them hope that it leads to them playing in the NRL.

“We had a meeting with the NSWRL and they were very supportive that our teams out of Victoria will now be known as the Melbourne Storm Jersey Flegg team and the Melbourne Storm SG Ball team.

“There’s also a big one that we’re really committed to having a Melbourne Storm Harold Matthews team for the under-17s in the next 12 months.”

Young Tonumaipea is one of four Victorian juniors to have played for the Storm. Picture: Bradley Kanaris / Getty Images

Those moves will help produce a genuine pathway to create opportunities for kids to aspire to something bigger in Victoria, with the club keen to nurture the talent before other clubs try to lure them north.

“Hopefully in a couple of years, four locals becomes eight and then eight becomes 16,” Ponissi said.

“Down the track, we could be looking at a Melbourne Storm team where there are plenty of players from Victoria. The talent is there and we just have to nurture it.”

Originally published as Big change Storm has made to ensure long-term success