Prediction: Shem Tatupu will play NRL footy late in 2017.

Late last week, Melbourne Storm announced that they had signed young kiwi AFL player Shem Tatupu from Hawthorn Hawks. The son of former Warrior Tony Tatupu, Shem had grown up playing rugby league and union in Auckland, before being introduced to AFL, from which Hawthorn snapped up the 1.97m tall 20-year-old.

Tatupu's body type is nicely suited to AFL as he's tall and lean, very similar to Israel Folau however for whatever reason he didn't want to pursue a career in the AFL. Tatupu had only played reserve grade-type of games with the Hawks and hadn't actually cracked the AFL before being lured to the Storm, an obvious choice given that the Hawks and Storm are both Melbourne clubs.

This is an interesting pick up for the Storm, not only because of what Tatupu could offer as a rugby league player but also because it's another example of some very slick recruitment and development.

Tatupu's ceiling - without seeing him play league - could be very high. I mentioned Folau before and the Storm also recruited and developed Matt Duffie who is very athletic and actually has a history in local AFL footy, two outside backs who were extremely talented in the air. Both Folau and Duffie established themselves as potent aerial threats in the NRL and when you have such an aerial threat and Cooper Cronk who is the best kicker in the NRL, it's a match made in heaven.

That's why I'm high on Tatupu as a prospect with the Storm. Duffie came back strongly from injury last season and re-established himself as an aerial threat, however Duffie is now playing rugby union and the Storm currently lack a tall outside back to perfect this niche.

The Storm have two very capable wingers in Marika Koroibete and Young Tonumeipea who have started the season in great form. Tatupu is nothing more than a prospect and won't feature in the NRL for at least a year, he may not even play reserve grade with the Storm this year. My belief is that Craig Bellamy loves a winger who can dominate his opponent in the air, Bellamy and the Storm's coaching staff now have an opportunity to instill the Storm's values and culture in Tatupu while they mould him into the exact sort of player they want.

Of course, at 1.97m tall and 100kg, Tatupu could also find himself as a forward prospect. Having played as forward in AFL though, Tatupu's bread and butter would have been competing for the ball in the air and these skills translate well to the NRL.

When Tatupu is ready to play reserve grade footy, the Storm have the perfect set up to bring Tatupu through. Tatupu's signing is yet another example of the Storm being the best recruitment/development team in the NRL and all their tools will be on display in Tatupu's progress as a league player. The Storm have two feeder clubs in Queensland's Intrust Super Cup: Easts Tigers and Sunshine Coast Falcons, plus the Storm set up an academy in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast.

Some NRL clubs barely have an 'academy' let alone the vision to set up an academy in another state ... let alone two feeder clubs. The Storm have targeted Queensland's endless pit of rugby league talent as one way they can make up for the lack of league talent in Victoria, which when combined with their interest in kiwi talent, more than fills that void.

The Storm employ Andrew Blowers as their 'Polynesian Welfare Support Coordinator'. Yup, Andrew Blowers who used to play rugby union in Auckland and for the All Blacks. With a greater reliance on young polynesians/Maoris/kiwis coinciding with an alarming number of deaths within this community, more NRL clubs are looking to provide adequate support to ensure that these young players settle into new surroundings as well as possible.

There's the welfare aspect, there's also the benefits in terms of recruitment that having someone like Blowers can offer. The Storm view Queensland and Aotearoa as greater rugby league resources than New South Wales and Victoria, Blowers' presence with the Storm provides a bridge between the Storm and Aotearoa that acts as a plus for the Storm when they are recruiting a youngster from Aotearoa.

This is a competitive business and many NRL clubs are scoping out kiwi talent (I've heard stories of NRL scouts watching lunch time footy through a school fence, looking for talent) so players and their families must consider the support systems each club has. Having Blowers - who has experience in working with young polynesians in Auckland - in the Storm's corner is a huge asset for the Melbourne club.

Whether Blowers plays much of a role in Tatupu's developed, I'm not sure. Tatupu has spend a long time in Melbourne and would have settled nicely, Tatupu's development will require more rugby league-specific work as opposed to personal development. Tatupu's signing does however show how clever the Storm are in their recruitment and when stacked on top of the presence of Blowers and a clear eye to target Queensland, will ensure that the Storm continue to be in my opinion the best all-round NRL club there is.