5 days ago
Sad detail about Slater and Smith as Melbourne Storm severe Queensland ties
Some of the Melbourne Storm's most iconic players have come through their historic Queensland Cup pathway, including champions like Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk. But the NRL club is severing it's traditional ties to Queensland in favour of a more stream-lined 'reserve grade' team in the NSW Cup.
The Sunshine Coast Falcons and Brisbane Tigers (formerly known as Easts) have been feeder teams for the Storm for the past 27 years. But in a bombshell decision, the revealed this week that the long and successful partnership will be ended after this year.
Starting next season, the club will have a Melbourne Storm team playing in the NSW Cup - the tier below the NRL in NSW. Unlike in the Queensland Cup, teams that play in the NSW Cup predominantly have the same name as their NRL equivalents.
The current North Sydney Bears team that plays in the NSW Cup is also a feeder club for the Storm. But that will have to change when the Perth Bears enter the NRL competition in 2027.
According to the Courier Mail report, the move is designed around stream-lining the Storm's reserve grade squad and keeping their fringe first-graders in the Melbourne colours. This "builds the continuity that many of their Sydney-based rivals enjoy with their NSW Cup teams," the report states.
The Storm released a statement on Friday confirming the move, while promising to maintain their affiliation with Queensland through other means. 'There is no doubt our partnership with the Falcons and East has helped us find some of the best talent to have ever pulled on a Storm jersey,' said the Storm's director of football Frank Ponissi.
'However, like all clubs, we are always looking at ways to improve our pathways, particularly with the expansion of the NRL and NRLW in the coming years. While we might be exploring new opportunities to develop and expand our male and female programs, our commitment to south-east Queensland will be maintained whether through our existing recruitment programs or new partnership opportunities with the Falcons or Easts.'
The move is an extraordinary one considering the rich history of Queenslanders making their mark with the Melbourne Storm. Smith, Slater, Cronk and Greg Inglis all played for Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup, which is actually in Brisbane Broncos territory.
But they signed with the Storm when the club started moving into Queensland territory in the early 2000s. Former Storm coach Mark Murray said in 2017: 'The Broncos had Queensland to themselves for so long, so our focus was pretty narrow up there, and our strike rate ended up being pretty good as a result.'
Current players Harry Grant, Trent Loiero and Tino Fa'asuamaleaui all came through the Sunshine Coast Falcons, as did the NSW-born Ryan Papenhuyzen. And Cameron Munster played for the Brisbane Tigers before making his NRL debut.
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The historic ties to the Queensland Cup is the main reason the majority of Melbourne Storm players represent the Maroons at Origin level. Whether or not that trend continues remains to be seen. The move away from Queensland will seemingly open the door for the Dolphins to recruit more talent through the Sunshine Coast pathway, while the Tigers will likely become a feeder for the Broncos.
Make sense when you think about it. Falcons would be a logical feeder club to the Dolphins, and the Tigers as a feeder to Broncos.
— behind_th_8ball (@behind_th_8ball) May 29, 2025
Wow. Big change
— clayton johns (@5Nouseforaname) May 29, 2025
Terrible
— nolesfan2011 (@nolesfan2011) May 30, 2025
