As one of just five Victorians to have played NRL for the Storm, Sualauvi Fa’alogo understands the significance of the club’s open training session with their new junior representative teams.
With fans, both young and old, braving sunburn to get a glimpse of their heroes at Melbourne’s first open training session of 2024, the Storm's Under 17s Harold Matthews Cup, Under 19s SG Ball and Under 21s Jersey Flegg squads trained alongside the NRL team.
For the first time since the club’s inception in 1998, the Storm will field teams in the three NSWRL competitions in a bid to develop more local talent like Fa’alogo, who made a stunning NRL debut last season and starred for Samoa at the Pacific Championships.
“When I got here, watching their training [the junior squads] just reminds me of back when I first started, so it’s awesome,” Fa’alogo said.
“When I was growing up, obviously I didn't have the opportunity to train with, or train alongside, the NRL boys, so it’s very good for the juniors coming up.
“It’s very good to see all the younger guys training with us.”
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In doing so, the club has made the pathway to the NRL more visible and within reach for young players from Victoria.
Storm GM of football Frank Ponissi, who has overseen the new pathways program, explained that establishing the connection between the club and the game’s grassroots in the state was “massive.”
“From this year, we’ve taken over the entire elite pathway programs,” Ponissi said.
“So really starting at far younger age, we’ve been able to not just identify talent, but also develop talent. Over the years in Victoria, the numbers are good, but it’s about improving the quality of the talent.”
It is a conscious effort from the Storm to integrate all teams into open training sessions so that youngsters like Bailey and Brady, who were among those watching, have a clearer vision of how to achieve their dream of playing for the Storm.
Bailey came to watch the Storm train at Alcock Reserve in Melbourne’s west with his parents, Todd and Sue, who have been supporting the Melbourne Storm since their foundation 26 years ago.
“There are two teams in our house, and it’s non-negotiable – the Melbourne Storm, and the Collingwood Magpies,” Todd laughed. “Other teams do not exist.”
Young Bailey never stood a chance – he was going to be a Melbourne Storm fan from the moment he was born.
“The best thing about it is that the players spend time with the kids signing their stuff,” Sue explained. “They don’t rush them, they’re not rude, and I could not fault them at all.”
Brady travelled with his mother, Jamie, for more than 30 minutes for an opportunity to meet the Storm stars.
His favourite player is 'Big Nelson' [Asofa-Solomona] – and he is hoping to watch the Storm win the premiership this season. "Go Storm," Brady yelled emphatically.
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Ponissi said it was important that the Storm engage with communities from all corners of Melbourne, who are the lifeblood of the club.
“The rugby league community in Melbourne is very strong in the extremities,” Ponissi said. “We get into those communities and tell them how important they are to us.”
Storm captain Christian Welch said that he was excited at the prospect of more local juniors being able to break into the team.
“The number of junior teams that are training today, [it’s important] to integrate a bit of the pathways and to show the younger kids that there’s a variety of teams and a real tangible path to a future of rugby league in Victoria,” Welch said.
“I know the club’s really serious about investing in that pathway and seeing a lot more Victorians come through and debut in the NRL.”
