I don't want to be the prophet of doom, but I'm struggling to find a way forward for the Melbourne Storm. Sure, the NRL and News Limited say they are in it for the long haul, but I think it's going to be a tough ask to keep this team going.

Fans and players may rally behind the "us against them" or "stick it up ‘em" mantra, but that can only take you so far. With 18 games remaining, and no chance of moving up the ladder, how long before the malaise sets in, both amongst players and fan base?

The reality is that the NRL's best bet is to take the team elsewhere.

A bit like the Swans in Sydney, the Storm's success off the field has been a direct result of its incredible success on the field. If they'd been a mediocre, middle-of-the-pack NRL team, there's no way attendance would have crept beyond the 10,000 mark. In addition, media interest would have dwindled, and the Storm would have been lumped in with Melbourne's niche clubs, like basketball's Tigers and netball's Vixens.

But three grand final wins and a reputation as the NRL's "team of the decade" made rugby league fans - or should I say Storm fans? - out of plenty of Melburnians. The key question is who are those fans? I don't have access to the Melbourne Storm's crowd demographics, but it seems to me that the hardcore support can be broken up into three major groups:

*Rugby League fans: primarily expats from Queensland and New South Wales.

*Union fans and Kiwis: plenty of rugby fans have supported the Storm because it's the closest thing Melbourne has to elite rugby.

*Storm fans: the biggest group, and the hardest to figure out. Some are just great sports fans, the kind Victoria breeds. Some are anti-AFL types. Most, I would assume, either took a punt and joined up from the beginning, or jumped on board when it became apparent the team was going to be excellent.

The worry now is what happens to these fans of "Dead Team Walking?"

This season, they're being asked to barrack for a team that is guaranteed to finish last and has nothing to play for. Next season, they'll be asked to barrack for a team that will be a shadow of itself, more than likely missing its best players.

And then there are the Rebels. This rugby union team will be part of the Super 15 and will also play home games in brand-new AAMI Park. It's not a stretch to say that a majority of Storm fans will migrate from the 13 aside game to the one with 15 players on the field.

So what should the NRL do? By all accounts, the Storm - as successful as it's been - has been a massive money loser. That will surely get worse as the product suffers in the next few seasons. From what I hear, there are cashed-up folks on the Central Coast who would love to have a team.

You know what, league's had a pretty good run here in Melbourne, salary cap rorts notwithstanding. Maybe it's time to let union have a crack.