Clock's ticking. Why the Melbourne Storm only has one year to win another premiership

As long as Bellamy is coach I believe they will contend for the title. They really remind of me Manchester United with SAF as coach. Sure they may not win year on year but will always be one of the teams to beat.

Hi Sam, I joined the Storm in 2015 after they had just finished 6th and the Sydney media all had them “GOOONE” as the big 3 were “aging and past their best.” Since they were written off, they have won two Premierships, been runners up twice, won four Minor Premierships, and played Finals every year. Not bad! In fact, last season was their first without all of the big 3 – Smith, Cronk & Slater – they posted their highest ever rating as a team. I would caution any write-off chat while ever Craig Bellany is the coach and Matt Tripp is Chairman.

Did anybody hear about what eventuated with the Penrith Boys who desecrated the League Trophy after the GF in their celebrations? And did they actually take the CC Medal off Cleary as was reported ??

I think the Storm Players themselves would agree Cam Smith and Cooper Cronk were their Pillars, but I sense a change coming the way the Storm played last year and I too could be very wrong. But what I would suggest the rule changes were suppose to take their Game Plan out leveling the field so to speak, but they adjusted better than anyone else, why? I seem to watch the game and think Cheese is in charge here, then suddenly it was Hughes is in charge and so on, I think that made them more a moving target and why the game flowed for them, I am not in their Think Tank, but watching them they have gone away from 1 General to 5 Lieutenants, all who are given permission to storm the troops forward without instruction. Just a thought.

How do you suggest they keep Storm afloat return all the players they have produced that have gone to other clubs? Or are you suggesting they get granted a larger Salary Cap, because I am all for that because if they could retain their home produced players well lets just say I would back them Every Year on the nose to be in GF. I know it's a Conspiracy players play average to good so they get picked up by Storm to BECOME GREAT!!! And COVID is not real, people are pretending to be dead. Please....

I tend to agree, with all the distractions of losing players in the not too distant future, I believe there are some clubs who will be much more competitive this year and coming years with some fantastic buys, talking about Sharks and Bulldogs in particular. And I think their fans will have much to enjoy. I have followed Storm since it's inception being a Bulldogs fan prior, but I actually believe Coates will surpass Addo-Carr (no disrespect) and Warbrick after some time may surpass both of them. Looking at the guys waiting in the wings I actually think there is another dynasty brewing it's really up to the Cheese, Hughesy etc... to resign. If they take a leaf out of Welch's book were a good pay rise and smart investment portfolio is the way to go then Storm are likely to be top 4 for the foreseeable future, or at least 10 years.

I haven’t seen a convincing argument from any quarter that makes me think Storm won’t be a top 4 finalist for several years to come. In their case, the past is a good predictor of the future.

Lachie Miller is another of the rugby 7's players who have found their way to the NRL. He has signed a 2 year deal with Sharks and might be a really good buy for Fitzgibbon, I'd imagine they got him fairly cheap. Miller played league up to the age of 22 and his transition won't be too difficult. He can play hooker or fullback, but I'd expect if Cameron McInnes plays in the back row, Lachie could potentially be their 14 and play dummy half off the bench. He is quick.

The NRL will never allow the Storm to be “average”…one way or another they will make sure the Storm are competitive ie…top 8, every year…why you ask?…a poor Storm means no dwindling support…not financially viable for the NRL…

I note you mentioned William Warbrick so I had a look at some of his highlights and am very impressed. Big, strong and fast, a likely replacement for Suliasi Vunivalu who was a big loss for Melbourne, someone who was missed this year.

i think it is the other way round. He played most of his junior footy in the backrow (though played junior union as a centre) and is now playing centre in seniors. As he fills out his frame he will return to the back row in seniors. Though still unsigned beyond next year so hopefully some MaGuire magic dust will be getting applied in 2023.

At 19 yo, 109kg and 193cm, he's going to be a big boy when he fills out. Apparently he played most of his junior footy at centre but is now a 2nd rower. Some of Bellamy's magic dust could turn him into something special.

Yes, I am the Supreme Oracle of the Roar. I'm predicting the North Sydney Bears will take out the title in 2022.

Pretty keen to see how the new players fit into the squad, especially Coates, who could become just about anything once he gets on the end of the Storm backline. Jack Howarth should finally make his debut in 2022 and Olympic silver medallist William Warbrick will be an interesting proposition. The Storm have also signed a host of ex-NRL players sons, Matty Geyer, Rod Wishart and Sean Garlick’s boy’s will all be running around for Melbourne next season. Will be interesting to see how they stack up against their dads, Cole Geyer looks like a handy rake and might get fast-tracked after the Storm lose Aaron Booth, Tyson Smoothy and most likely Brandon Smith. As far as winning the comp, the alarm bell that is ringing for me is the whole heap of off-field issues surrounding the club through the off-season. The Storm’s coaching and support staff have the players pretty well drilled as to what is acceptable behaviour and generally speaking, they hold themselves to a fairly high standard. To then have Munster, Smith and Lewis nose-deep into the Mexican Marching Powder, Tui Kamikamica charged with assaulting a female and Nelson Asofa-Solomona refusing his vaccination, it appears from the outside looking in, that the wheels might be starting to come off. No doubt pre-season will have them all back on the short leash, but it just looks like standards might be slipping.

And you call yourself a Roar Guru Duncan Smith Lol????

Took a look at Howarth's stats yesterday. Looking at him, I thought he looks agile enough but a bit scrawny. Then I say he weighed 109 kg. He represented Australian Schoolboys in 2019 which suggests he can play a bit. A bit of Bellamy magic and he could be another "find".

The Storm weren't expected to dominate the way they have and nobody would have predicted they would do it by luring the best of the young QLD talent to spend a decade or more away from home. However, the idea that they will just keep on doing it is unpredictable also. Maybe it's the Dolphins who recruit the best of the new players and leave the Storm in the lurch? I put my hand up in claiming that Cameron Smith was the key factor in the Storms success over a long period, over and above Bellamy and all other factors but last season made that claim look pretty foolish ............... until the blowtorch was applied and just like the 2008 GF , the Storm capitulated without Cameron Smith. If the Storm wins next season, I'll concede my theory is incorrect. Several teams in the past have looked almost invincible until the torch was applied in the finals and it was found that the champions on the opposing teams were superior when it really counts. It's too early to claim this is the case with the Storm, however. Manly in the early eighties was very dominant but it was the Eels, with Kenny and Sterling, who had the cattle when it counted. The Eels not long ago were super dominant but it was Johns and Kennedy who put them in their place when the heat was on.

I enjoy reading articles like this because I find them amusing. Rather than a balanced look at all the factors that have gone together to make the Storm the best franchise in NRL this century, the focus is almost exclusively on the current squad, the issues with the current squad and those players who are leaving the current squad. What about the players who are staying? The majority are world class. What about the coach,, who has signed up for another 5 years? Best in the business, based on his stats. What about their ability to identify & recruit either complete unknowns or player other sides deem average and turn them into top quality first graders? The Storm have the systems to continue to be a top 4 team for at least the next 5 years. More importantly, they have the people in place to make that system work. Right now, only a handful of other teams can come close to matching the Storm in ALL departments so I see no reason why they can't win at least one and likely more premierships before 2030.

They will be fine. The recent Kamikamika news and NAS vaccination status does concern me a little that their forward depth may be tested against the top teams this year. But I'm still confident they will be top 3 this year. Moving forward they have some outstanding juniors on the verge of first grade. Not a fan of the club, but their succession planning is so far superior to all other teams.

Never a truer word spoken Sam, I think I have put them in at 5th this year and have been unsuccessfully claiming that "They will come back to the pack this year" or " They will really miss blah blah..." or "I just feel that they are slowing .." Never been right before but definantley will be right in 2022 :thumbup: