If NRL teams have premiership windows, then the Melbourne Storm are living in a glasshouse.
No walls, no barriers. Nothing but endless views and possibilities.
Defying arguably the biggest turnover of stars of any NRL club since 2005 - losing 13 representative players, including nine internationals and a future Dally
M medallist - the Storm stand on the cusp of an amazing fourth successive grand final.
Victory over fierce rivals Brisbane tomorrow night at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne would see the Storm become the first team since Parramatta (1981-84) more than two decades ago to qualify for four successive title deciders.
In 2006, Melbourne were beaten 15-8 by the Broncos. In 2007, they won the final 34-8 over Manly who last year avenged that result with a 40-0 wipeout.
To the 12 NRL clubs already counting the days until 2010 pre-season training, being within sight of a grand final is nothing more than a dream.
For the Storm, it's an expectation that can be attributed to a lot more than good fortune.
"We anticipate every year when the season starts that we will be around the mark," said Storm chief executive Brian Waldron.
"That's not being anything but realistic given what we have put into being successful. We're not arrogant about it, it's a fact.
"We haven't achieved anything yet by our measures because we have got to where we anticipate we should be.
"This club has a high expectation. For every year bar one we've been around the mark at this time, so why wouldn't we continue that anticipation if we continue to have good people in the business.
"If you look at our squad, we have some outstanding talent and given luck with injury it's a fair assumption that those blokes will deliver us a position at the end of the year that is around the mark on a year-by-year basis."
Since coach Craig Bellamy arrived in 2003 the club has not missed a finals series and they've always at least survived the first week of the playoffs.
Their run of grand finals started in 2006, just a year after letting Matt Orford and Steven Bell go to Manly and the retirement of test prop Robbie Kearns.
Their unrivalled modern day success has been built around a decision very early on to retain the core of young stars like Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk and inspirational skipper Cameron Smith.
As time went on workhorse lock Dallas Johnson, prop Brett White and second-rower Ryan Hoffman were added to the list of keepers.
Yet the club still had to allow the likes of Israel Folau, Matt King, Michael Crocker and Jeremy Smith to leave when their careers were still on the up as it faced up to salary cap issues exacerbated by their success.
A team made up solely of Melbourne departees since 2005 would be so strong it would pose a genuine threat to any in the premiership.
But Waldron says those hard decisions are crucial to Melbourne's success.
"It's about strategy, structure and people," he said. "It's nothing more than having good people in the right places.
"We've been prepared to make brave decisions. Prepared to allow players to leave and make hard decisions to reinvigorate the squad.
"The greatest challenge we've had is being able to sustain a successful club on the back of losing so many players through salary cap restraints.
"Your retention programme and commitment to retention is as crucial as recruitment.
"We certainly use a lot of science when determining how long you should be signing players up for. We don't always get it right, but in most instances we're able to determine when a clock turns on a player's ability to still deliver."
After getting belted 40-0 in last year's decider by Manly, many thought Melbourne's long reign had come to an end.
They would lose Folau, Crocker and Jeremy Smith from their grand final side and have no big name replacements to come in.
Fortune would deliver Brett Finch to their doorstep midseason, but otherwise it's been some new faces from within like Aiden Tolman that have stepped up in 2009.
And while for the previous three NRL seasons Melbourne have been runaway ladder leaders in the regular season, in 2009 they've been content to cruise along in fourth place while the Dragons, Bulldogs and Titans surged.
However, once September rolled around the Storm were back to their best, holding the Warriors scoreless in Auckland before eliminating Manly from the finals with an imposing 40-12 win to storm into title favouritism.
Bellamy laughs at how the people who wrote their obituary 12 months ago are suddenly back on the bandwagon.
"I think at times that some people or some critics accept that you have lost a few players so this is not your time," Bellamy said. "I think that's crap, to be quite honest.
"Some teams think this is not their time, so they roll through the motions and plan for two or three years down the track and put their three-year plan into place. I think that is crap.
"The way the salary cap is now you always have young guys in your side so you work hard with them and sometimes if you work hard you get rewarded."
The signs are strong too that Melbourne's supremacy isn't going to fade any time soon.
Sure they'll lose more stars next year - Steve Turner (Bulldogs), Will Chambers (rugby union), Joseph Tomane (Titans) and possibly Jeff Lima (linked to a release) - but their Under-20s side is flying.
The Storm will play Brisbane in the Toyota Cup preliminary final - also tomorrow - and at least a dozen of those juniors are future NRL first graders.
With good youth coming through and a new A$300 million ($363 million) playing and training facility due for completion next year, Waldron simply can't see any reason why his side can't remain at their lofty perch well into the future.
"You can't put a timeline on [success]. It can be sustained as long as you're prepared to make brave decisions and you make more right choices than wrong," said Waldron. "You need a hell of a lot of luck with injuries in such a high impact game and you need to keep attracting good people with the right environment.
"There's no doubt it can be sustained ... but there's no guarantees."
TEAM DEPARTURES
Representative players to have left since 2005: Steven Bell (2005), Michael Crocker (2008), Ben Cross (2007), Israel Folau (2008), Matt Geyer (2008), Scott Hill (2006), Antonio Kaufusi (2008), Robbie Kearns (2005), David Kidwell (2006), Matt King (2007), Matt Orford (2005), Jeremy Smith (2008), Chris Walker (2006), Jake Webster (2006).
Other name players to have left since 2006: Nathan Friend (2006), James Aubusson (2007), Clint Newton (2007), Sam Tagataese (2008)
Players to leave end of 2009: Will Chambers, Steve Turner, Wairangi Koopu, Jeff Lima (possibly)
A team made up of Melbourne departees: Matt Geyer, Israel Folau, Matt King, Steven Bell, Jake Webster, Scott Hill, Matt Orford, Robbie Kearns, Nathan Friend, Ben Cross, Michael Crocker, David Kidwell, Jeremy Smith. Interchange: Antonio Kaufusi, Chris Walker, James Aubusson, Clint Newton.
WHAT: NRL Preliminary Final 2
WHO: Storm v Broncos
WHERE: Etihad Stadium, Melbourne
WHEN: 9.45pm tomorrow night
- AAP
Despite a massive turnover of players, last year was the Storm's third successive grand final. Photo / Getty Images
If NRL teams have premiership windows, then the Melbourne Storm are living in a glasshouse.
No walls, no barriers. Nothing but endless views and possibilities.
Defying arguably the biggest turnover of stars of any NRL club since 2005 - losing 13 representative players, including nine internationals and a future Dally
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