By Nick Creely
A Storm is coming to the south east for the very first time.
And it’s set to descend on Cranbourne.
NRL powerhouses, Melbourne Storm will play its final pre-season game against North Queensland on Saturday 29 February at Casey Fields’ main football ground from 5.30pm, just prior to the club’s round 1 fixture against Manly in Sydney on 15 March.
It’ll be the first time that the Storm has played a game of any sort in the south east of Melbourne, with all previous home pre-season games always being played at AAMI Park, in Geelong or interstate.
The Gazette can also reveal that the club has signed a two-year deal to play another pre-season game at Casey Fields, meaning the Storm will also front up in 2021, however the opposition is yet to be determined.
There are high expectations of a sell-out crowd, with the capacity for the football ground at 9,000 due to the redevelopment at the football pavilion.
In a huge coup for the region that has seen grassroots rugby league steadily rise to seven clubs and just over 4000 registered players, there is set to be plenty of public interest, especially at the home of the Casey Warriors, which is the second-biggest club in Victoria.
Injuries permitting, the Storm is expected to field a full-strength team as it looks to bounce into the NRL season with plenty of momentum after reaching a preliminary final in the 2019 season after finishing as the minor premiers.
Also from an on-field perspective, there will be plenty of fan and media interest in North Queensland star Valentine Holmes who just recently reportedly signed a six-year, $5.7 million deal after his failed crack at securing an NFL contract.
Storm football operations coordinator and recently retired ex-champion Ryan Hoffman said it was important for the growth of the game that the club played a match in the south-east suburbs.
“Rugby League is growing in Victoria, which is what we want,” he said.
“I think there were something like six local clubs when I first came down here and now there’s seven in south east Melbourne alone. That’s fantastic.
“My young bloke plays for the Eastern Raptors, so I see the growth of the sport on the ground every weekend.
“So for us to take a trial game out to this area is very important.”
Hoffman said he was anticipating a fierce contest with the Cowboys, with both teams looking to put their best foot forward in their last chance to impress before Round 1.
“This is our last trial game before the season starts, so the fans will certainly see two teams having a red hot crack,” he said.
“Injuries permitting, we’re going to try to run out with pretty much our full-strength team, the team we want to run with against Manly in Round 1.
“That’s what the coach wants at this time of the year, so it’s going to be an exciting game.”
The match will sit in the middle of a bumper three weekends at Casey Fields with an AFL pre-season match between Melbourne and Adelaide on 22 February and then an AFLW match between Melbourne and West Coast on 8 March.
On the day of the clash, there will be a Rugby League festival right across Casey Fields.
Starting at midday with a Rugby League 9s tournament involving all local clubs in Victoria down at the Rugby League fields (including curtain raisers to the Storm game), there will also be a community event on the village green starting at 2.30pm that will include activities, food trucks, merchandise stalls and plenty more.
Both the Storm and the Cowboys will also be out and about in the Casey and south-east community during the week before the game.
Hoffman said it was the perfect opportunity for the club to connect with a Rugby League-mad community.
“We are Melbourne’s team, there are no other NRL teams in the state,” he said.
“So for us to be able to take a game out from our central Melbourne base and in to the suburbs where there is a real love for our great sport, it’s fantastic, really exciting.
“We’re looking forward to engaging with all our fans out in south-east Melbourne.
“But wouldn’t it be great, too, if we can find some new rugby league fans out here who might come along to this game, enjoy it and then get along to watch more games at AAMI Park.”
Hoffman said that the Casey Fields venue was perfect for fans to get entrenched in the Rugby League atmosphere.
“This a suburban ground, it’s not like AAMI Park where everything is a bit more closed off,” Hoffman said.
“There’s a misconception sometimes that, playing on an oval, the crowd can be a bit far away.
“But I’ve seen the ground, I’ve seen the dimensions, and I can safely say that the crowd is going to get a fantastic chance to get right up close to the action and have a great view of the field. They’ll feel the big hits and enjoy the fast runs.
“So this will be a great opportunity for people to see some of the stars of the game up close and personal, get photos after the game, autographs and say ‘g’day’ to the players.
“We’ll be out in the community leading up to the match too. We’ve got a big responsibility here, being Melbourne’s team and patrons of the game, to make ourselves seen in the community.”
Tickets for the highly-anticipated clash are expected to go on sale in January.
