Sorry siv, but seriously how the f**k do you know that they are using VRL funds for this.. not really sure what you are talking about actually. Currently Sunny Coast Falcons are a feeder for Storm and have teams in the MM Cup and U20 Fogs Colts cup. MM team is all local Sunny Coast rep players, while the 20s are predominantly local, but have an overflow of Storm NYC players as well. At the same time, the Victorian Rugby League also has teams that play in the same comps. I'm no Storm fan by any stretch, but who on here actually knows what the storm do in terms of Junior development in Melbourne. I don't disagree that they should be doing something, but people here seem to think that every club runs the same development model as the Sydney based clubs with their junior boundaries and claim to their own juniors. Wouldn't junior development in Victoria be a responsibility of the VRL, same way that in QLD junior development is overseen by the QRL, not the Queensland based NRL teams. Its a different model outside of Sydney to the one that has evolved through the Sydney and then NSWRL comps. Maybe Storm partner with VRL to do that, I don't know.
Also on the question of Melbourne moving to Sunny Coast... its an emphatic no. Seriously that idea is just a dots on maps vision.... Sure RL has great support here, but there are no corporates, and no real huge industry to support an NRL team. Part of the reason they hooked up with Melbourne was to get funding to support the Falcons, so if not enough support without Storm input I can't see how an NRL club would be sustainable here.
Not rocket science
Melbourne U18 and U16 teams are no longer
But in their place are VRL teams playing in Queenslands U20 U18 and U16 comps