Role play: Storm put faith in pathways players to perform

“I don't really delve into the Xs and Os so to speak of their game, it's more about developing habits within their game that are going to set them up to play NRL consistently.

“Lazarus Vaalepu is another good example this year … he came down to us and had a bit of a rocky off-season and was a bit up-and-down and he just worked really hard on his game all year and just kept taking small steps forward.

“At the start of the year; absolutely no disrespect at all to him, he was nowhere near ready to play NRL … and then he just kept making little improvements every week, and we kept working hard, and I probably spent more time with him this year than anyone else.

“He just kept making little improvements and taking on board all the little things that we were we were talking about and kept implementing them into his game.

"Things that we spoke about each week, I'd see him trying to do in his games, and then once he did that well for a couple of weeks, we'd introduce something else in the game for him to be doing and he just kept making those small improvements every week.

"To the point where before the Roosters game, I said to the coaches, 'he's ready to go, just in case there's an opportunity, Laz is ready to play NRL'.

“As a fate would have it, I think we lost two guys in the captain's run that week and Laz was there and he got his opportunity [to make his NRL debut] and because he was ready and he kept himself ready to go and he was fit and was doing all the right things consistently throughout the year, he's managed to string six games under his belt, and now he's in line to play in a grand final.”

While the Storm launched their new pathways program at the end of last year to develop more Victorian-born players, in the meantime, they have relied on their affiliated clubs in Queensland’s Hostplus Cup and this year, the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup – to get their players NRL ready.

In their 22-player squad premiership squad named on Tuesday, all bar two players (Shawn Blore and Josh King) have played Cup at some stage in their career, with six playing this year.

Dally M winner Jahrome Hughes also came through the Cup system playing 65 games, initially with the Townsville Blackhawks in their inaugural season under incoming Dolphins NRL coach Kristian Woolf as well as with Tweed Seagulls and at the Falcons after he was signed by the Storm.

“We put a lot of emphasis on getting those guys ready to play NRL and also contributing well to the feeder clubs,” Lowrie said when asked why he thought this system worked for the Storm.

“We do put a lot of emphasis on it, so basically anyone that doesn't make the NRL team goes back to either the North Sydney Bears, Sunny Coast Falcons or the Brisbane Tigers, so we split it up in three this year.

“We do try and get them up there as early as possible so that they can integrate to the club and they can train up there, we do like them all playing footy.

“We generally like our guys playing footy. We think that's best for their development, actually playing rather than just training, playing footy is the best way you can get better.

“I review all their games early in the week and I sit down with every one of them individually and go through their game and what they're doing well, what they need to keep improving on and probably most importantly, what's going to get them in the NRL team.

“It’s important I work really closely with the NRL team as well, so I'm up with all the current messaging and focuses for the team, so that when any of them come in … they're up with everything that Craig expects and everything that the NRL team's doing so they can just fit in seamlessly and make the most of it.

“I think there's a few reasons why it works … For me, I think the emphasis that the club does put on it; we really do put a lot of time and effort into getting everyone in our squad as ready as they possibly can be to play NRL, both individually and in their training on the field.

“We make it quite clear to the players that we do have good relationships with those clubs and the standards that they live by in Melbourne, they're expected to uphold when they go up to those feeder clubs.

“I think that helps when the guys that are going up there are upholding the same standards that they are when they're in Melbourne and they go up there and they go into really good clubs and it creates really good environments which creates a good place to be able to play good footy.

“There's a reason why they're in this system, because they're good players.

“That is part of our system and part of what we do, it's all about those little effort areas and those habits that you put into your game.

“If you can just give them things that will hold them in good stead once they get in the team, then you know their natural ability takes over from there.”

While there have been a number of success stories, Lowrie was proud to see the recent emergence of Jack Howarth, whose transition into the NRL has been about finding the balance between being patient with his progress and unlocking his full potential.

Named to play centre on Sunday, Howarth was signed on a long-term deal early in his development, and only made his debut last season playing one game, which prompted some outside speculation about his place in the club and if he’d be agitating to get a first=grade opportunity elsewhere.

This year however, he has played in 15 games after showing coach Craig Bellamy he was finally ready to fully embrace the challenge of playing fulltime NRL.

“Jack Howarth; he spent a couple of years and probably a little bit longer than we were hoping I suppose in that development stage, but he's come into first grade ready to go and hit the ground running as everyone's seen this year,” Lowrie said.

“I spent a lot of time with him last year diving into his game and off-field and helped him with a lot of stuff that was hopefully going to get him in the best position to play NRL and once he got there, he took his opportunity.

“He has really played well once he got there, which is a real credit for him and how he carried himself last year and even the first part of this year.

“It’s great to see where he got himself. (Sometimes) young guys do get impatient, they get a bit impatient and leave … and it’s a credit to Howie, but you’ll have to ask him about what went through his head (when he wasn’t getting selected).

“I was working pretty closely with him, so I know he did it quite tough there for a while, but you'll have to ask him about why he chose to hang around; but he made the right decision and he backed himself and it’s paid dividends.”