Signings (rest of 08-09)

[Super Cronk]

As has been reported, backrower Matt Cross has joined from the Gold Coast Titans on a one-year deal, while four other new players will join the club.

Storm football operations manager Frank Ponissi believes Cross can have an immediate impact in 2009.

"The Storm has proven in the past that not only young players get improved within our system, but the culture here as has a history of rejuvenating players mid-career as well," said Ponissi.

Backrower Louis Fanene has been elevated from the under-20's squad, while Clifford Manua and promising front-rower Sinbad Kali have signed new one-year deals, rounding out a busy week at the club.

Apart from Cross, the four new faces at the Storm next year include Penrith centre William Isa, former Bulldogs five-eighth Arana Taumata, Souths centre Andre Itula, and James Maloney who captains Wentworthville in the New South Wales VB Cup.

-Melbourne storm.com.au

[nacho]

has anyone heard if this Andre Itula is any good

[Super Cronk]

all i know so far is he played 6 U/20 games and scored 3 tries....im trying to find out more.

[samo]

william isa looks alright, he jut scored for panthers in game v warriors u/20's

[nacho]

Russ is clubless atm, his french team Albi (spelling) has gone under and is bankrupt so he is with out a club.

[Fizer]

A couple of u20s signings

League: It's Storm all the way for talented teen

The Warriors did Matt Duffie a favour in missing out on the NRL grand final.

Come Sunday, the St Kentigern College seventh former would have been torn in deciding whether to back the Storm or the Warriors in league's big show.

Duffie, 18, can now throw his total support behind the Melbourne club which will soon become his second home. He is just weeks away from joining the Storm with his long-term goal a place in the club's top side. He has already spent time in a Storm training camp.

But, he admits, when the Warriors squared-off against the Storm in week one of the playoffs, he had mixed emotions before throwing his support behind Steve Price and his team.

Duffie expects no favours when he crosses the Tasman in early December.

The Auckland secondary schools fullback was spotted by the Storm scouts late last year. He was offered the chance to join the club and continue his studies in Melbourne this year but preferred to wait until after he finished seventh form at St Kentigern.

St Kentigern sports co-ordinator Martin Piaggi said Duffie is a "great kid. Humble and unassuming".

Yet, put in him in a pair of football boots and he quickly shows out. At rugby or league.

"I played rugby at the Pakuranga club until I was 12 then I went to live in Christchurch where I played rugby on Saturday and league on Sunday," said Duffie who is the Auckland secondary schools senior high jump champion of champions and finished second in the 200m after winning both titles, also winning the long jump, triple jump and javelin at his school championships.

He played in the school's volleyball team and was asked to trial for the New Zealand secondary school team but did not have the time. He also plays in his school's premier touch team.

"I think now I enjoy league more," said Duffie who played his early rugby as a lock and flanker and has since played "everywhere". He says league is more combative.

Duffie said he had not had any offer from the Warriors but there had been recent interest from the Auckland Rugby Union.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/ar ... d=10535076

Junior talent ready to step up for Uni Shield decider

FARRER will call on a number of 16-year-olds in tomorrow’s University Shield final against Sarah Redfern High School at Campbelltown Stadium but is confident the youngsters have what it takes to stand up in the biggest game of their schoolboy careers.

Leading the way for the younger brigade is backrower Brett Jarrett, winger Ryan Pooley and hooker Cameron Rodgers, who has forced his way into the first XIII starting side this year on the back of some superb form.

Co-coach Steve Cavanagh said the younger players were outstanding but it was the attitude of the older players that had really helped them

flourish.

“That’s to their credit but it’s also to the credit of the older boys,” he said.

“The older boys have helped the younger ones and accepted them and they want to see them do well.

“They’ve built a good ethos.”

He said Melbourne Storm recruits Jarrett and Pooley had been impressive all year but Rodgers has also stepped up considerably.

Halfback Jake Hawkins is also a big fan of Rodgers who is now part of a strong mid-field combination that includes Hawkins, Marcus Bower, Josh Dutton and captain Scott Blanch.

“Marcus Bower at five-eighth is handy and Blanchy at fullback helps a lot,” Hawkins said.

“Cameron Rodgers playing hooker, he’s been one of our best players this year.

“At the start of the year I don’t think he had much interest in playing football but he’s been one of our best and I think he’ll go on to bigger and better things.”

Hawkins (Melbourne), Blanch (Manly) and Dutton (Gold Coast) are all playing their last games for the school before going on to their respective NRL clubs.

Blanch said they had come through the Farrer system to become the leaders of this year’s side but the Uni Shield final against Sarah Redfern was a springboard for the next crop of players to take on that role for next year and beyond.

“It’ll be good experience for them,” Blanch said.

“We’ve served our

apprenticeships.

“Hopefully they can build on what we’ve taught them.”

Also included in the young brigade will be bench players like Matt Allwood who has also pushed his way into the squad thanks to great form at under 16s level.

He, Rodgers and Pooley were all members of the Group 4 winning Farrer under 16s.

The next generation will also be on show tomorrow when the Farrer under 14s face Cromer High in the Buckley Shield final which precedes the open decider.

Both Farrer sides arrive in Sydney today and will train this afternoon for the last time.

http://tamworth.yourguide.com.au/news/l ... 78755.aspx

And we can see how James Maloney goes as he is playing in the New South Wales VB Cup on sunday.

[Super Cronk]

NRL team snags Greymouth's rising league star -greystar.co.nz

West Coast league player Slade Griffin has been signed with top National Rugby League (NRL) club the Melbourne Storm. The 17-year-old was selected after playing exceptionally in the national under-18 provincial tournament over the past few weeks. Griffin has been playing at centre for the Canterbury under-18 side and arrived home on Sunday night from the final against Wellington to give his family the good news. “They were pretty proud I think. I told a couple of friends as well and they were pretty speechless,” he said. He has been called up to the under-18 Melbourne Storm side — a feeding team to the Toyota Cup and premier teams. His manager, former Kiwis and New Zealand Warriors coach Frank Endacott, said the signing would be huge news in Greymouth. Griffin was in “blistering form” over the competition, and had several NRL clubs chasing him over the past weekend. Scouts were at most games, allowing him to get plenty of exposure to make the break. “I actually thought he was the standout player of the whole tournament,” Endacott said. “I had several clubs ringing me up saying they wanted him, Melbourne Storm were the lucky ones, though.” He was picking that Griffin would even be blooded into the under-20 Storm side next year while he was still playing under-18 league, and from there potentially move into the senior side over the following years. Griffin was born in Australia and moved to New Zealand when he was three. He began playing league as a midget (under-7s) for Cobden-Kohinoor and has represented the West Coast teams through all age groups. “My parents, my friends, Cobden-Kohinoor and Frank (Endacott) have helped me along the way, they’ve basically given me the help I needed to get the break.” Another promising Greymouth league player, Ethan Negri, who also played for Canterbury in the past few weeks, has been invited to play a Warriors under-18 trial match against New Zealand Maori on October 12 at Yarrow Stadium, as a curtain raiser to the All Golds versus New Zealand Maori senior sides.

[Michael :P]

Blaise Lomax and Lazrus Mulu,add them to the roster. U/20 team looks like it will be alot stronger next year.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4718182a1823.html

Storm snap up promising Kiwis
By MICHAEL FORBES - The Dominion Post | Tuesday, 07 October 2008

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The Melbourne Storm may have lost the NRL premiership on Sunday night, but they have won the race to sign two of the most promising young talents emerging from Wellington's rugby league nursery.


Blaise Lomax and Lazarus Mulu have signed two-year contracts with the Storm under-20s side and will leave New Zealand in December to begin pre-season training for next year's Toyota Cup.

The two 18-year-olds will leave with plenty of hype around them, both having been included in the New Zealand under-18 tournament team for their standout performances in this year's national secondary schools championships.

Both Lomax and Mulu made their names playing at centre for their respective clubs, and have the attitude and physical attributes to go far in the NRL, according to their coaches.

They also have genealogy on their side - Lomax is the nephew of former Kiwis international Johnny Lomax, while Mulu is looking to follow in the footsteps of his mother, Angel, who was a dual rugby league international.

"My dream is to wear the black jersey, just like my mum," Mulu said. "She played for the Kiwis in 2003 and went to the World Cup with Samoa in 2005, so I really want to do it for her."

The Porirua College pupil, who knocked back an offer from the New Zealand Warriors before signing with the Storm, said the idea of linking up with the NRL's minor premiers was taking a while to sink in.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. If you had told me this was going to happen a few months ago I wouldn't have thought it possible, but now that it has, it's a dream come true."

He said his goal was to make the Storm's first-grade team within the next two to three years, but his immediate focus was on securing a regular spot in the under-20s side.

Lomax - another product of the league factory at Wainuiomata High - played in representative teams alongside Warrior Ben Matulino last year and believes the path trodden by his former teammate has shown him the way forward.

"He was a big inspiration to me," Lomax said. "All the boys looked up to him and wanted to be like him. All the players could see the potential in him, which has obviously shown through this year in the NRL."

Lomax was cautious about his chances of making an immediate impact on the Storm's under-20s side, but said he was feeling good about the pre-season trials.

Having been approached by both the Storm and Bulldogs following the national under-18 competition, Lomax said he opted for the Storm because of their superior junior structure.

He admitted to feeling a little apprehensive about the move, given his immediate family is unable to move with him.

"My Dad's [Arnold] probably been the No1 person to help me, and he won't be there, so it'll be tough adapting to a new life and new schedule without him."

Wellington under-18s coach Brendan Mears praised the attitude and work ethic of both players and labelled Mulu as one of the most dominating centres in the Wellington club competition, where he plays for North City.

"He's a very strong player with very good footwork," Mears said. "His strength and his footwork will take him far in the NRL. I think he will be a very good prospect for the Melbourne Storm."

Mears said the significance of both players' selection by what he described as a "blue-ribbon club" should not be understated.

"Other clubs might keep 80-90 players on their books but Melbourne are a lot more selective, so anyone who gets signed by them is of a high quality."

Johnny Lomax, who coaches Blaise at club level for Wainuiomata, said he had the skill-level and maturity of players well beyond his years. "He's a young boy who's been playing against men for the last couple of years, and this year, he has really shone through and started to physically dominate," Lomax said.

"Mentally, to be able to have that at a young age is not a quality you can really teach or coach. The toughness has to be within you."

He said Blaise's aspirations to represent his country were well within the reach of Wainuiomata's latest success story.

"He's got enough natural talent, and there's a lot of support behind him, so I can't see why he wouldn't reach for higher honours."

[nacho]

they have mad names, ther probs really good haha

[steaming stormer]

And we can see how James Maloney goes as he is playing in the New South Wales VB Cup on sunday.

As long as we don't get him to kick field goals... my god that was one of the funniest performances I've seen!!!

[Super Cronk]

according so someone on LU:

I was listening to a Sports station this morning at work, and Jim Banaghan was on talking to Dean Lonergan (ex kiwi for those who don't know), and without comfirming it outright, they gave a pretty big indication Koopu will be signing with the Storm very soon

[sallymay]

he has been around for awhile can we afford him as well as brett white steve turner and cam smith????

[samo]

(Koopu) he played 4 the nz moaris on sunday and the commentators said he is with the storm for next year.

he would have been cheap. we need some back row / centre's with old heads

samo

[steaming stormer]

If the Koopu signing is official, that's a great signing IMO.  Good experience and replenishes some of the depth in the back row that we lost this year

[Bay 6 Yobbo]

Yep that's great news.
And they can't take him at Origin time.
Good work by the recruitment staff!