They recognise they will never be a match for the likes of production-line NRL powerhouses Penrith and Parramatta but Melbourne have taken a large stride towards developing more homegrown young talent with the launch of their Storm Academy.
Former premiership player Matt Duffie has returned to Melbourne to run their junior program, lured away from his rugby union career in Japan.
There are three Victorians among a dozen young players in the ranks who include Queenslander Gabriel Satrick, the Australian Schoolboys star hooker who Harry Grant helped sway to sign with Melbourne rather than Brisbane.
They are currently training fulltime in an eight-week pre-season alongside NRL players including 2021 skipper Christian Welch, who was at the academy launch.
While they will play in the Jersey Flegg under-21 competition, some of the youngsters are expected to play with the Storm's feeder clubs in the Queensland Cup this year, which is a final stepping stone to the NRL.
There have so far been only four homegrown Victorian players to don a Melbourne NRL jersey - Young Tonumaipea, Dean Ieremia, Mahe Fonua and Richie Kennar.
Duffie said while they could not compete with rugby league giants like premiers Penrith, they needed to do better.
"We're never going to have that amount of players come through, being an AFL heartland," Duffie told reporters.
"We've had success in the past bringing in guys from Queensland and New Zealand and exposing them at a young age and developing them through, so if we can add a Victorian pathway to that ... we'll have a really good mix of homegrown talent as well as guys who have moved here."
Duffie, who played at fullback and on the wing, arrived at the Storm as a teenager, playing six years before switching codes and representing Auckland in Super Rugby and then shifting to Japan club Honda Heat.
He expected his cross-code experience to help his coaching duties
"Definitely, when I left in 2015 I probably didn't realise that other places do things differently, you only know what you know," the 32-year-old said.
"All the experiences I've had have been great for my development in terms of the way I see the sport, football teams and different environments.
"I'm trying to bring that knowledge to these boys and the club itself."
