The Melbourne Storm have been the pinnacle of the NRL for almost a decade. They have the players, the setup and the culture that every NRL club desires. Unfortunately for them but good for us, there is such a thing called the salary cap, although I'm not sure if they knew that it existed. The salary cap has meant that many Storm players have had to move on as the Storm rightly retain Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater. Many of the guys who have left, are not superstars but they are NRL professionals who have the ability to bring an attitude that is sought after by many players. So where are they? How have they affected their new clubs? I'll have a wee looksie. 

We'll start front and centre with the Warriors. Both Dane Nielsen and Todd Lowrie have come across the ditch and been hated on by the Warriors faithful. I don't know what they were going to expect? The Warriors knew what they had and were rightfully pretty proud of their choices. Two tough defence orientated players who could add a lot of value to the sporadic attitudes of the Warriors. Their impact hasn't been over the top sensationally amazing, but I'm sure they were at the forefront of the meeting following the loss to the Panthers mid season. Without Nielsen, the Warriors edges would be horrible. Their right edge has struggled thanks to two youngsters operating together, but their left edge with Nielsen and Vatuvei has held up pretty strongly. Nielsen will lead Vatuvei with his actions and organisation as well as offering Konrad Hurrell and Ngani Laumape advice. 

For those who have been extremely critical of Lowrie, hold fire until next season. With the departure of Michael Luck, many had high hopes that Elijah Taylor would fill that void in the long term. With Taylor's upcoming move to Penrith, that void will be taken up full time by Todd Lowrie. This season, there have been two players who do a similar role and only one starting spot. Lowrie has kind of had to play second fiddle, helping out where he can but expect his impact to be felt much more strongly next year. 

Adam Blair has been labelled as the one of the worst signings ever. A lot of money for someone who hasn't really done a lot. It's hard to explain why. No one really knows. He has looked better playing in the middle of the field where his role is easily defined; run hard, run decoys, tackle heaps and slow the play the ball down. But isn't everything we hear out of Melbourne all about everybody doing their job? With clearly defined roles and simple game plans, you would have thought that Blair would relish the opportunity to bring that ethos north to Sydney. Unfortunately for him and the Tigers, he hasn't. He has been unable to reach the heights of his days in Melbourne. I don't feel like this is entirely Blair's fault. His arrival has been perfectly timed to match Benji Marshall's rather long battle with form. Although Marshall has provided moments of brilliance in the last few years, consistency hasn't come easy. When you compare the two clubs, consistency and stability appear the biggest differences. At the Tigers, everything is unknown. In Melbourne, many things on and off the field are certain. This includes those playing inside and outside him, game plans, coaches and the boardroom. Unfortunately for Blair, he willingly walked in to the mess that is the Tigers.

The biggest name of them all is Greg Inglis. Unlike all the others, Inglis has the footballing ability to flourish in any team. He struck the jackpot when Michael Maguire arrived and a shift to full back soon followed. To be honest, the Rabbitohs have built an organisation that now rivals the Storm with many of the same attitudes being brought in thanks to Coach Maguire.

Their playing roster and style differs greatly however and Inglis has been able to mature and become one of the best leaders in the game. When he was at the Storm, Inglis was given quality opportunities by his fellow superstars while also creating many opportunities himself, thanks largely to the fact that opposition teams had to account for the big three. Now G.I. has to not only perform to his high standard week in week out, but he must also inspire his troops. He isn't the leader of the team, he is the leader of the Rabbitohs. The club. The organisation. It's no coincidence that the only bloke to keep improving after leaving the Storm, is the guy who's the most freakish in talent.

I wanted to write about Sika Manu as well. He was a cannon ball at the Storm, running great lines and offering a physical presence that would have made many players take notice. When diving in to the depths of my small brain, I realised that there isn't that much to say about Sika Manu. He has been in and out of the Panthers squad thanks to injury and hasn't really offered too much. You would expect this to change pretty quickly however. The Panthers are a club on the rise and have everything set in place to shake up the NRL. I'd expect that with the likely departure of Clint Newton, the Panthers will need a senior operator on an edge to compliment their wealth of young talent. Provided he can stay fit, expect Manu to grow in to his role within the Panthers and be make some big improvements next season.

Lastly, I want to touch on a few young blokes who have left the Storm for an opportunity. Robbie Rochow, Luke Kelly and Rory Kostjaysn left the Storm to head north, Newcastle, Parramatta and Townsville respectively. Kostjasyn has been pretty inconsistent with the Cowboys, in and out of the starting line up and switching between hooker and the halves. His versatility was handy at the Storm, which has followed up up north but he hasn't been able to secure a permanent starting spot. The other two left pretty soon after the end of their U20's careers but the both managed to make their NRL debuts with Melbourne before being squeezed out thanks to a lack of opportunity and salary cap space. Rochow has made the biggest impact of them all. He has been outstanding for the Knights, keeping Chris Houston on the bench and adding plenty of muscle to the Knights edge. He is a pretty large specimen and has thrived in the tough, no nonsense Wayne Bennett environment. He and Tyrone Roberts will be the foundation of the new breed of Knights and they have the ability to lead them to glory. Luke Kelly has had a pretty tough time of it at the Eels. He has however been shown plenty of faith with Chris Sandow's troubles meaning that the halfback spot is up for grabs. With the Eels spending lost of dosh for next season, I'm not sure what the future holds for Kelly. Either way, he should get the hell out of Paramatta.