could someone enlighten me as to the origins of the melbourne storm team? are they a team of tom scullys and gary abletts? are there any victorians, or are they essentially tran$planted northener$?

NRL works differently to AFL.

More like the VFL before the draft.

The Storm have "feeder clubs" where their talent is developed to be ready for 1st grade, then signed onto a contract.

Not exactly sure how the transition from lower leagues to 1st grade works, but I guess they usually end up playing for the club that developed them.

From memory, the Storm have feeder clubs in NSW in the Toyota Cup (like current VFL) and in QLD.

Generally, the storm develop a lot of top class kids through their "academy" due to their huge financial backing (owned by NewsLtd) and the lack of a cap on feeder clubs.

They sign up all the best kids before they are quite ready for 1st grade, and often when quite young.

I think there was a buzz a year or so ago, because the Storm had developed their first "home-grown" Victorian player who was up to scratch.

It's not a State of Origin competition

I know Storm have scouting networks in the private school rugby system down in Melbourne - there was a SKevs guy who had already signed a Storm contract back when I finished school

I know Storm have scouting networks in the private school rugby system down in Melbourne - there was a SKevs guy who had already signed a Storm contract back when I finished school

The majority of them are actually Queenslanders - not for any particular reason though. I think their feeder club used to be Brisbane based though, so this could be why?!

A fair chunk of the Storm's better/well-known players are from Queensland. Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, Cameron Smith and from recent times Folou and Inglis. Becuase of this, i always support QLD come SoO time, that and the fact that i hate NSW's.

If you think the AFL is corrupt, then the NRL will blow your freakin mind. It is basically a NSW competition, where the state thinks that all teams in the NRL should be from NSW, etc. Pre-lim finals are played in NSW all the time, only favouring home teams. I would love for the Storm to win the premiership this year and stick it up all those arrogant NSW drongos. They'll come up with some pathetic excuse to strip the Storm of another premiership, like some form of retrospective punishment.

There is a reason that all teams outside of NSW seem to be stronger than those inside NSW. The culture of that state is p!$$ weak. That incestuous state is what is holding the game of rugby league back from becoming bigger and better. And to think those neanderthals believe that this amateur hour "sport" can take it up to AFL.

NRL is owned and run by News Corp.

NRL CEO refers to passionate fans as terrorists.

NRL players have profound difficulties respecting women and coping with alcohol at levels above all other football codes and the general community.

Its a truly unprofessional arrangement where the stink stsrts at the top and seeps downward.

The majority of them are actually Queenslanders - not for any particular reason though. I think their feeder club used to be Brisbane based though, so this could be why?!

Yeah, Brisbane Norths I believe.