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THE Storm are fighting to retain a teenager rated the best athlete at the club since Greg Inglis after an NRL rival tabled a $400,000 offer to poach the Melbourne rookie.
With Inglis tipped to join the Broncos next season, the Storm are trying to avert a double whammy as they attempt to secure boom outside back Justin O'Neill.
Plucked from the North Queensland town of Hughenden in 2006 for $500, O'Neill is in line for a bumper pay rise after becoming one of the code's most sought-after rookies.
Off contract at season's end, O'Neill was on the verge of signing a new deal with the Storm in April, only for talks to be put on hold when news of the salary cap rort surfaced.
Since then, O'Neill has burst on to the NRL stage, scoring five tries in four games.
The 19-year-old wants to be loyal to the Storm, but with the club under pressure they may struggle to match interest from a raft of rivals, including the Bulldogs and Roosters.
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Related CoverageLeague: Bellamy admits losing Inglis will hurt
Big Four: Inglis will be first to jump ship
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
One club is believed to have offered a three-year deal worth $140,000 a season for the former national under-14s long-jump champion. O'Neill hopes to decide his future in the next fortnight.
Storm football manager Frank Ponissi said the club is doing everything possible to retain him.
"We have a huge regard for Justin - we certainly don't want to lose him," Ponissi said.
"We've been in talks with Justin and he was just about to sign when the salary cap news came out back in April. He hadn't played first grade at the time, so I guess the loss for us was a big gain for Justin."
Former Storm recruitment chief Peter O'Sullivan, now working at the Roosters, confirmed his interest and said O'Neill would become a Test and Origin star.
"There's no doubt he is the best athlete to come through the Melbourne system since [Inglis]," Sullivan said."I'm interested in him. If he wants to leave Melbourne, I've told his family I'd be interested in taking him to the Roosters."He's a quality kid on and off the field. You can't replace Inglis, he's in a league of his own, but next year Justin will be ready to rock and roll. If they wanted to build their team around some kids, he is one of the special ones."
With Inglis tipped to join the Broncos next season, the Storm are trying to avert a double whammy as they attempt to secure boom outside back Justin O'Neill.
Plucked from the North Queensland town of Hughenden in 2006 for $500, O'Neill is in line for a bumper pay rise after becoming one of the code's most sought-after rookies.
Off contract at season's end, O'Neill was on the verge of signing a new deal with the Storm in April, only for talks to be put on hold when news of the salary cap rort surfaced.
Since then, O'Neill has burst on to the NRL stage, scoring five tries in four games.
The 19-year-old wants to be loyal to the Storm, but with the club under pressure they may struggle to match interest from a raft of rivals, including the Bulldogs and Roosters.
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Related CoverageLeague: Bellamy admits losing Inglis will hurt
Big Four: Inglis will be first to jump ship
.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
One club is believed to have offered a three-year deal worth $140,000 a season for the former national under-14s long-jump champion. O'Neill hopes to decide his future in the next fortnight.
Storm football manager Frank Ponissi said the club is doing everything possible to retain him.
"We have a huge regard for Justin - we certainly don't want to lose him," Ponissi said.
"We've been in talks with Justin and he was just about to sign when the salary cap news came out back in April. He hadn't played first grade at the time, so I guess the loss for us was a big gain for Justin."
Former Storm recruitment chief Peter O'Sullivan, now working at the Roosters, confirmed his interest and said O'Neill would become a Test and Origin star.
"There's no doubt he is the best athlete to come through the Melbourne system since [Inglis]," Sullivan said."I'm interested in him. If he wants to leave Melbourne, I've told his family I'd be interested in taking him to the Roosters."He's a quality kid on and off the field. You can't replace Inglis, he's in a league of his own, but next year Justin will be ready to rock and roll. If they wanted to build their team around some kids, he is one of the special ones."
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