7th Tackle: Why Jets are ditching Sharks for Storm

Rugby league’s most resilient club – the Newtown Jets – are facing yet another challenge as their feeder relationship with Cronulla deteriorates.

Sharks coach Shane Flanagan and Newtown officials have not been seeing eye-to-eye of late.

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As a result, Newtown has cast its eye elsewhere for an NRL partnership in 2018.

We can reveal club president Terry Rowney has met with the Melbourne Storm, which has two feeder teams in Queensland, but none in Sydney.

Rowney also shares history with Storm skipper Cameron Smith, giving the hooker an apprenticeship at his labelling factory in Melbourne 15 years ago.

Storm football boss Frank Ponnisi last night said there was “possibility” the clubs could combine, having spoken about a similar association beforehand.

“But the talks have only been very preliminary at the stage and we haven’t even discussed it internally,” he added.

Should the Jets go through, Melbourne won’t abandon their two affiliate QLS teams – Easts Tigers and Sunshine Coast Falcons.