Purple Haze

[Surandy]

Great article in The Age which is also on the Storm website. Really shows how we are finally making a great impact in the Victorian ranks. Long article but well worth the read.

Purple Haze

The Age

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

THERE was a scene at Melbourne Storm training recently that would have been almost unthought of when the club was set up more than a decade ago.

It was a day when the Storm's first-grade squad, which had been forced to train at an unusually late hour because of promotional duties, the under-20s squad and the newly formed under 18s, were all on the ground at its base of Princes Park at the same time.

So there, at the home of the Carlton Football Club, was a field of AFL dimensions full of rugby league players — around 90 or so as well as coaching and support staff — trampling on the famed grass. It made a stark change from the days, not so long ago, when the club consisted of a National Rugby League squad of about 30 players and a Brisbane-based feeder team.

It prompted one Storm official to declare: "We're a real footy club now."

Chief executive Brian Waldron said the club now had about 180 players, when the three squads Storm has on the NSW central coast (NSW Cup and junior squads) and a number of scholarship-contracted high schoolers were taken into account.

It is still bankrolled by its owner News Ltd but after two premierships (1999, 2007) and three consecutive grand final appearances (2006-2008), Storm, under the control of one of the game's most effective coaching units headed by Craig Bellamy, and with a host of stars including two of the game's biggest, Billy Slater and Greg Inglis, seems to have taken a hold.

So much so that it prompted Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald, one of the most strident critics of Storm's presence in Melbourne, to say he was now "willing to see how the Storm go in terms of crowds once the new ground is opened in 2010. I'm hopeful they do well for the sake of the game".

"I think things are changing and they are trying to develop players," he said.

However, Fitzgerald warned that the progress had to be translated into crowd numbers at the new Olympic Park stadium.

"The ground is the real big issue. It looked as though no matter how much success they were having on the field their crowds were not improving so if the crowds can't improve with a brand new stadium I think they've got some real problems."

Storm officials argue that they were making inroads into Melbourne's sporting culture and, most importantly, into the target group of the impressionable younger generation.

Kim Williams, who coaches the under-18s team, said Storm's reach was particularly evident within his squad, the majority of whom were either born or raised in Victoria.

Williams said it surprised many that Storm could draw from a pool of local talent, but the potential could be seen in the team, which is playing its first season in the SG Ball competition and currently holds a 3-1 record.

"It's all relative and compared to those heartland of rugby league we're not up to their standards but the standards have certainly increased dramatically during the past five or six years and the development programs, and in particular the high performance programs we have for these kids, are really working," he said. "The increase in the standard is proof of that, so there are some great kids out there."

Storm is hoping that 15-year-old Victorian Cameron Hansen could be a sign of the future. He played both Australian rules and league at club level until last year, making under-age state Australian football teams and, at last year's rugby league national championships, he was named in an affiliated states' under-15s team, made up of the best players from Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory.

Hansen was born and raised in Melbourne but his father David, who made junior representative teams for New Zealand's South Island and had aspirations for higher honours, decided his future lay with league. He is now established in Storm's development system and scored the first try for the under-18 team in its inaugural game.

He said the introduction of Storm's junior squads — with the under-20s established last season — would encourage more teenagers to take up league.

"It's a good opportunity now that the Storm have an under-18s squad … people can see if they are good enough to get into the under-20s and then eventually if they're good enough to get into first grade and play good footy," he said.

The increase in local content is no doubt encouraging for Storm as it has long been a bone of contention to the forces north of the Murray River that Storm has never had Victorians among its ranks.

Storm has had players such as Jeremy Smith and Jake Webster, who have spent part of their childhoods — albeit fleetingly in the case of Webster — in Melbourne, but had most of their grounding in the game's heartland areas.

Waldron said while Storm had its feeder system on the NSW central coast, it was Victoria that was "the real significant area we want to continue to grow".

"It means the jigsaw is starting to come together, but it's a very slow process," he said. "We'll always continue to recruit players from interstate but you'd like to think within four or five years or within the next generation you'll hopefully have half-a-dozen Victorian kids in our first grade squad."

Foundation chief executive Chris Johns has even loftier goals, declaring the club could one day be talked about in the same terms as the most popular AFL clubs.

"It's not going to be now," Johns said. "It (a mark of the Storm's success) is going to be in the next 10 or 20 years when kids are thinking of Storm in the same breath as they're thinking of Collingwood."

To achieve such grandiose goals, Storm has to continue making inroads into the grassroots levels in Victoria. It has, keeping true to league's gritty working-class traditions, concentrated on the public school system in areas such as Altona, Sunbury, Geelong and Berwick, but Waldron said the club could soon make a play for the private schools where rugby union was more commonly played.

Greg Brentnall, who has been with Storm since the start in 1998 and is now working in developing talent through the club's academy program, said he had seen a lot of young talent, including four players last year, slip through the club's grasp. But he was now confident of retaining his players, especially with plans to introduce an under-16 squad within a couple of years.

"I always thought, especially after we had initial success, that we would be able to develop our own. I'm a bit disappointed that we probably have not been able to get as many players through to that level as we would have liked," Brentnall said. "That's been my major issue, that we've had a lot a kids that weren't necessarily standouts but were a chance of getting through … and play a reasonable amount of NRL."

Storm captain Cameron Smith said the presence of the younger players at the club not only had the practical aspect of acquainting them with the team's structures, but also allowed them to develop within the philosophy of being a "family" club.

"Obviously they're a little bit shy at first but when we get the opportunity like we did the other day we usually mix in a fair bit … and give them tips while they're training," Smith said.

"I remember when I was a young bloke I would have loved a couple of first graders to come out and have a chat about how to improve my game and what type of things they do at training. It's a big part of our club to interact with each other. It's something Craig (Bellamy) pushed when he first came down. It's not just the guys who are playing first grade each week — every one who's involved in the Melbourne Storm is the family of the Storm."

[Silkin Storm]

I loved Cam's comments at the end about everyone being involved being part of the family.

Looks like they are looking out for their little brothers LOL

[CooperCronk]

Fantastic article and fantastic heading *Purle Haze*.

Noticed that Fitzy had to have his 2 cents worth   Can't help himself.

[pauliedude]

Fantastic article and fantastic heading *Purle Haze*.

Noticed that Fitzy had to have his 2 cents worth   Can't help himself.

Is that the 4 hundred thousand dollar man: - NaNaNaNaa, NaNaNaNaa  (trying to do sound effect from 6 Mil $ man show)

Fitzy - I wont take a pay cut, a pay cut dosnt matta.

[CrazyAboutCooper]

"It's not going to be now," Johns said. "It (a mark of the Storm's success) is going to be in the next 10 or 20 years when kids are thinking of Storm in the same breath as they're thinking of Collingwood."

I hope not because Collingwood are a team full of inconsistant,skill deprived players!

[singlemalt]

"It's not going to be now," Johns said. "It (a mark of the Storm's success) is going to be in the next 10 or 20 years when kids are thinking of Storm in the same breath as they're thinking of Collingwood."

I hope not because Collingwood are a team full of inconsistant,skill deprived players!

Jeezus...

If I'm ever gonna be compared to a Collingwood supporter, please shoot me now   

[Joel Caine number 1 fan]

"It's not going to be now," Johns said. "It (a mark of the Storm's success) is going to be in the next 10 or 20 years when kids are thinking of Storm in the same breath as they're thinking of Collingwood."

I hope not because Collingwood are a team full of inconsistant,skill deprived players!

Jeezus...

If I'm ever gonna be compared to a Collingwood supporter, please shoot me now   

its as bad as being labled a bulldogs supporter 

[LESStar58]

So much so that it prompted Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald, one of the most strident critics of Storm's presence in Melbourne, to say he was now "willing to see how the Storm go in terms of crowds once the new ground is opened in 2010. I'm hopeful they do well for the sake of the game".

"I think things are changing and they are trying to develop players," he said.

However, Fitzgerald warned that the progress had to be translated into crowd numbers at the new Olympic Park stadium.

"The ground is the real big issue. It looked as though no matter how much success they were having on the field their crowds were not improving so if the crowds can't improve with a brand new stadium I think they've got some real problems."

For farks sake! Is there no pleasing Fitzy?! Someone needs to put him out to the pasture and put one behind his year like the burnt out old racehorse that he is!

[CrazyAboutCooper]

"It's not going to be now," Johns said. "It (a mark of the Storm's success) is going to be in the next 10 or 20 years when kids are thinking of Storm in the same breath as they're thinking of Collingwood."

I hope not because Collingwood are a team full of inconsistant,skill deprived players!

Jeezus...

If I'm ever gonna be compared to a Collingwood supporter, please shoot me now   

We arent all bad.
I think they were referring to the size of supporter base and recognition of standing,like people who dont know of AFL know who Collingwood are.

[Bourbon Rat]

The real 'purple haze' spreading across O P

[CooperCronk]

So much so that it prompted Parramatta chief executive Denis Fitzgerald, one of the most strident critics of Storm's presence in Melbourne, to say he was now "willing to see how the Storm go in terms of crowds once the new ground is opened in 2010. I'm hopeful they do well for the sake of the game".

"I think things are changing and they are trying to develop players," he said.

However, Fitzgerald warned that the progress had to be translated into crowd numbers at the new Olympic Park stadium.

"The ground is the real big issue. It looked as though no matter how much success they were having on the field their crowds were not improving so if the crowds can't improve with a brand new stadium I think they've got some real problems."

For farks sake! Is there no pleasing Fitzy?! Someone needs to put him out to the pasture and put one behind his year like the burnt out old racehorse that he is!

Wonder what he thought of our crowd on Friday night, when we were up against the NAB cup g/f/Kings of Leon concert opposite OP/basketball g/f final and still managed to get the best part of 15,000!  I knew heaps of people that couldn't get to our game for various reasons....most of which had nothing to do with the concert and the 2 g/finals.

[sallymay]

I met Stathi the writer or the article PURPLE HAZE at storm training yesterday and i congratulated him on a fantastic piece of writing he was very happy that people liked it as i told him a few people on here were talking about it