Much of the speculation coming out of the Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal has been about what the players will do now they have nothing to play for.
The problem with that is it’s not up to anyone else other than the players themselves to decide what they have to play for.
After seeing them re-enact the scene from ‘Reservoir Dogs’ yesterday with their epic Hollywood emergence from the sheds at their new home ground, it’s clear to me that they have plenty to play for – maybe even more than the other fifteen teams in the competition.
Even though the NRL premiership is no longer a motivation, the Storm now has one colossal incentive: existence. It may be that I am overestimating the camaraderie of the Storm as there may be players that are tempted to put personal finances above the team, but the way they have played over the last four to five years, along with their war-faced appearance at AAMI Park, suggests that the Storm’s sense of mateship is strong. No team would achieve what the Storm has without it.
The Storm’s financial situation and its now hostile relationship with News Limited means that the biggest battles will be off the field. In all reality the odds are stacked against Melbourne, but Australians love an underdog and I bet the Storm players would relish the new title.
The Storm players are the ones who truly know where their loyalties lie and what their motivations are. Over the past four days their loyalties and motivations will have been tested, but they now have the chance go down in history for a much bigger reason than two NRL premierships.
I believe if they are good enough they will survive. If that’s not something to play for then I don’t know what is.
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