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For a 100 years league has been trying to be a major player in Melbourne sport. But despite the Storm's success, Aussie Rules still rules.
Rare State of Origin games in Melbourne usually sell out but not because they like the game, more because they appreciate sport at top level and enjoy the intensity and the big biff, not seen on the bigger AFL fields.
All efforts to get the game going in the AFL heartland failed until the forced merger of the Australian Rugby League and Super League following the battle for fans in 1997. Both Super League and the ARL had promised to establish a club in the Victorian capital but neither did, the ARL running out of money after funding the South Queensland Crushers and Super League withdrawing because the state government would not help with ground facilities.
Now the club has one title win in 1999 and a second in 2007, three consecutive minor premierships in 2006-08 and expectation of another trophy in the last game of this finals series on October 5.
Brian Waldron has been Storm chief executive since 2003 and pats everyone on the back. "We've done a great job."
Some would say this is because of the surety of finance and access to the huge resources of part-owner News Ltd, which is also a 50 per cent owner of the NRL and thus has an interest in spreading broadcasting as widely as possible and charging accordingly.
But Waldron knows that "history is cyclical" and that it may be many years before they get another run like this, if ever.
The Storm is surviving well in the Aussie Rules heartland, he said. There are bonuses for players like league superstar Greg Inglis who would be mobbed on streets in Sydney and accosted in nightclubs. Here, he can walk down the street unhindered.
"There's 100 years of history here in AFL and we're 11 years old. Its taking time for them to embrace us. But our crowd is up to a solid 13,000 of loyal fan base. We make the players accessible to our fans, we're a very friendly club, we're not competing with AFL, we're forging our own base."
The 1999 team was forged from the best players picked from three teams that were folded as part of the peace deal, the Western Reds, Hunter Mariners and Crushers.
There is no doubt they had a talent advantage in early years, stacked with internationals including Aussies Robbie Kearns, Rodney Howe and Brett Kimmorley and Kiwis Tawera Nikau, Matt Rua, Richard Swain and now assistant coach Stephen Kearney.
Waldron is now finding out the reality of major success and what that requires in terms of management of the salary cap. The Storm's top players are constantly fronted with offers from rugby union in France and from other NRL sides and Super League. Next year, Israel Folau shifts to Brisbane, Jeremy Smith to the Dragons, Michael Crocker to England and with Matt Geyer retiring, that takes significant firepower from the side. It's rumoured the fee to thwart offers for Inglis is $450,000 a season, the highest salary in the NRL, which will significantly skew what can be paid to others.
"It's a difficult process. We're lucky we have a good culture and a place people want to be a part of. There's a belief we can carry on despite maybe 10 of the premiership side (2007) having moved on.
"We have more good talent coming through."
New talent scout Darren Bell will spend a substantial part of his hunting time in Queensland. Ryan Hinchcliffe from Canberra and William Isa from Penrith are his first two buys and he is yet to unearth a Folau.
Via assistant coach Stephen Kearney's connections with Wellington they are also picking up plenty of Kiwis and the Storm under-20s side includes Joseph Tomane and Petera Tamarua from Wellington, Theodore Stuart and Pulou Vaituutuu from Auckland and Louis Fanene from Christchurch.
"There's been some great talent coming out of New Zealand historically and we look forward to the opportunity to help more players achieve their goals of making it in the NRL."
