For the first time, Melbourne Storm has introduced a local hub competition, showcasing the best young U16 years talent across the Storm junior league.
The inaugural competition, named the Sua Fa'alogo Cup, after Melbourne's Victorian raised flyer is well underway and just reached the halfway mark of the six-round competition, which features three selected teams representing Melbourne’s metropolitan hub regions:
- South-East
- North
- West
The competition at the half point is very close with each team recording a win and loss. See the below results and ladder:
| Points | For | Against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SE | 2 | 58 | 52 |
| North | 2 | 42 | 44 |
| West | 2 | 42 | 46 |
In total, 12 Under 16s teams from the NRL Victoria competition have contributed players, with top talent selected to represent their respective hub region.
The three representative teams compete in a home-and-away format, with each side playing a total of six matches before the Final on Monday 18 August. Each team will face the others twice. Home teams will wear the Melbourne Storm purple home strip, while away teams will wear the Storm's white away strip.
The competition is designed not only to showcase the best Under 16s players from Victoria but prepare them for the upcoming 2026 Harold Matthews season. From this competition, players will be selected in an U16s September Hub training program. The 2026 Melbourne Storm Harold Matthews train-on Squad will then be selected before preseason commencing early November. The format of matches within the cup mirrors the Harold Matthews competition, with 2 x 30-minute halves, 17 players, and 8 interchanges.
Importantly, this competition is run and supported by the Melbourne Storm, with club and development staff closely involved in coaching and talent identification. It represents a critical pathway for juniors to progress towards elite rugby league, including potential selection for the Harold Matthews Melbourne Storm U17s team in 2026.
The Sua Fa'alogo Cup has been named after Sua Fa'alogo, a rising star and proud Victorian who is paving the way for more Melbourne-raised players coming through the local system. Sua’s journey from junior footy in Victoria to the NRL provides motivation and inspiration to all participants.
