The Melbourne Storm have often been criticised for not using locally born and bred players since their inception into the NRL in 1998. But in reality, it was always going to take many years before this was to happen.
Since 1908, rugby league in Australia has done pretty well with all recruitment from New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT, with some players over the years coming through the Northern Territory system, and of course, in the last 20 years we’ve seen more juniors coming out of the New Zealand and Pacific Islands region.
But Victoria has been a untapped resource.
With the huge numbers of football and Aussie Rules juniors, and even rugby union’s numbers, rugby league has missed out on so many potential players.
But the tide is changing.
The junior system is now getting better, and not just the Storm, but the game in general will benefit from the talent that is on offer.
The Storm’s under 18 SG Ball team, which was over 70 percent local born and bred players, reached the grand final in 2009 and so far in 2010 is doing just as well.
The 2010 Melbourne Storm’s Toyota Cup Under 20’s hosts three players who have come through the junior system in Melbourne: Lucas Grech, Robbie Kurth and Young Tonumaipea, with Grech and Kurth, playing since 2003, joining their local club at the under 12’s level.
These three young men are modern day pioneers for the game.
It could be one of these guys or players in the SG Ball squad by the names of Emanuel Carlos, Mahe Fonua or another cross coder in Cameron Hansen who made headlines the same week of the Karmichael Hunt switch to the new Gold Coast AFL side, with Cameron deciding he wanted to go with rugby league and not Australian Rules Football.
The fans love watching guys like Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Cameron Smith, but it’s the bond between local fans with local players that will get more kids not only watching rugby league in Victoria, but telling mum and dad, “I want to play this game, so I can be like my hero.”
friend.
Guest
For as long as I've known Robbie Kurth, he's wanted to play for Storm. I am proud of him for being recognised :] He's a great player and deserves all the luck to get where he wants to go! GO STORM!
zach
Guest
Could you be a little more specific?
MyGeneration
Roar Guru
What mushi said.
Zac Zavos
Editor
RedB - this is clearly inappropriate code-war comment. Your future comments will be moderated or deleted. A reminder to ALL that code-war comments are not permitted on The Roar. Please vote them down or report them and we'll delete or moderate. Thanks, Zac
Matt
Guest
More to it than TV rights. Pay TV was the spark that ignited the keg of issues in RL at the time. ARL marginalised the clubs and talked of Super League as early as 1990 as the future of the game. They also said they would be happy to see Sydney clubs die. Basically, they weren't acting in the best interests of the game, and clubs did what they did for self preservation (Cronulla being the best example). If RL had been run by an Club ellected independent commission like the AFL was, News might not have so easily wedged the games different factions. A very similar thing happened to the English Premier League, where the big clubs did their own thing and split. It is true though, that we are only now - with talk of Perth Reds and Central Coast Bears comming back, an independent commission and an open and fair TV rights negotiation - finally healing the wounds of super league. All the other sports have been given a free leg up because of it. Union had a good shot at knocking RL off after the 2003 WC, but the game has shown how strong it truely is. Good luck AFL pukes. You are going to need it.
Matt
Guest
I, and most people I know (born and bread News South Welshmen) feel exactly the same way cuzybros cuz. I have watched it, been offered clinics, had players visit my school as a kid (1995,I was in year 5, that was hilarious watching 3 swans pukes try and find a kid willing to talk to them let alone kick a ball), been offered free tickets, had it played at all hours of the day on TV, had to put up with the AFL footy show on High Def, et cetera et cetera. Why will GWS change my interest, or anyone elses about AFL after all that? They have tried to win me since I was a little kid. NOT INTERESTED. The only reason GWS is comming is to grow TV advertising revenue for the AFL. AFL has nowhere else to go to grow the pie. It has reached its zenith, and sees in the Soccer World Cup the beginning of the end of the utopian VFL dream.
cuzybros cuz
Roar Rookie
Matt, totally agree with you. The AFL boys on here can get away with whatever they want. I still can't believe that republican can get away with all the anti NZ crp he has posted on here. I have complained on here time and time again about this "character" only to fall on deaf ears. If you dare describe AFL not in a positive light then suddenly you have your posts moderated yet still to this day, republican can slander the nation of NZ in his AFL rants. Double Standards
Matt
Guest
A voice of reason. Why is it that the AFL fan boys on this site are allowed to troll the NRL page and constantly put the Greatest Game down, yet a RL fan can't even speak about AFL, even in a positve light on the AFL page? Double standards.
Mushi
Guest
Zach you’re wrong so how about you pull your head in.
Mushi
Guest
I'm confused as to how could the roosters learn something from this?
Crazy Horse
Roar Pro
Even if there was only three men and a dog there , its still more than what they got last year. Point being - Australian football finally has a home in GWS and putting down some roots.
crazy horse
Guest
I am not a Victorian. and its not called Vic rules, and using it as some sort of insult only serves to highlight you own insecurities. And if your upset about kids actually playing a sport that you dont like instead of a remote control once again it's your problem. Have a good day.
Rod
Roar Guru
Straight to the point has always been a favorite of mine.
Rod
Roar Guru
Don't be a flip horse crazy, nothing could make me watch or like Victorian rulz, I can actually watch and enjoy Union, it has skill, toughness and rules (even if it have too many) that are enforced all too often. If I want to watch Vic rules, I'll buy some chips and feed the seagulls or I'll sneak out the back door of a pub, drop $5 on the ground and wait for 3 drunks to spot it. :) You Vics are really amazing, you think the more you put AFL on TV, the more you put it in the papers and the more you give non stop exposure to it, it will somehow lead us all into following your game eventually, it won't. You seem to think also that by putting a team in W Sydney, all the unwashed will have a team to follow even though those same people in the last 35 years have been able to watch LIVE VFL/AFL on TV every weekend, it's like, give them their own team to follow, they'll lap it up. If they were interested in the AFL, they'd be following the Swans already, god knows they've been shoved down our throats long enough for no one in the state not to know who they are. But keep pushing and keep forcing, I'm sure one day we'll all wake up to this wonderful game of AFL.
crazy horse
Guest
Few paragraphs would have helped.
crazy horse
Guest
Great post Rod, in one sentence you have managed to disparage 2 sports. So if did you not hear about Aussie rules you would like it more ?.
Rod
Roar Guru
I mightn't like Union much but I'd back the Illawarriors RU side any time over the mexicans who continually try and shove their sport down our throats.
Rod
Roar Guru
nicely put CuzyBros cuz.
zach
Guest
Cheap to buy, expensive to run.
crazy horse
Guest
The article says 1500, thanks for linking it.