Melbourne suddenly finds itself in a situation it hasn’t been in for some time, and facing the possibility of changing its approach to player recruitment as a result.
The Storm have been the dominant team of the last decade.
Since 2010 – the year they couldn’t accrue competition points as punishment for the salary cap scandal – they’ve never finished lower than sixth on the NRL ladder, and have won five minor premierships and three grand finals.
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As comes naturally with being at the top of the perch, rival clubs have attempted time and again to pick the eyes out of the perennial powerhouse, but largely failed.
If Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy and his recruitment chief Frank Ponissi want to keep a player, they almost always succeed. It’s a culture where loyalty, humility, and hard work is rewarded, and players generally exceed their potential at the Storm.
But today the club lost its fourth representative star in the space of a couple of months.
Kenny Bromwich will join his older brother Jesse, and fellow backrow star Felise Kaufusi at the NRL’s newest club, the Dolphins, from season 2023.
Gun utility forward Brandon Smith will join their exodus next season, having signed with the Roosters a year in advance.
Smith had also been courted by the Dolphins – to be coached by Wayne Bennett – but ultimately snubbed them for a move to Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
When contacted by Wide World of Sports today, Storm recruitment guru Ponissi denied reports from other outlets that he and the club are fuming at Bennett and the Dolphins for their raid on the AAMI Park club.
He is “disappointed” to lose players of such quality, but says there’s no ill feeling towards the southern Queensland outfit or to the players for leaving.
It is, though, almost unchartered territory for the Storm. On top of losing Dale Finucane and Nicho Hynes to the Sharks this year, the Melbourne club is not accustomed to dealing with such high roster turnover, or losing so many established stars in such a sport period of time.
Bellamy has a Midas touch in regards to rugby league coaching. His ability to turn a rock into a diamond is unmatched in the modern era.
That’s why Melbourne’s strategy has been to develop talent from within the squad, rather than go to market and spend money on established NRL players. The Storm almost never splash the cash on a marquee signing.
The likes of Hynes, halfback Jahrome Hughes, and Papua New Guinea centre Justin Olam have all flourished in a way they may not have at another club.
Ponissi wouldn’t discuss specifics of their recruitment plan, but said the work would begin now in regards to replacing the talent lost by Kaufusi, Smith, and the Bromwich brothers flying the coop.
There will certainly be some talent unearthed from within. But Bellamy and Ponissi will finally have to dust off the chequebook and head to NRL market.
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