ALBURY Council has a great deal of work to overcome the perception that it is not welcoming of National Rugby League clubs.
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That is the view of Albury league identity Mike Eden.
He was commenting following Melbourne Storm winning the NRL title on Sunday night after having a contentious camp in Albury when COVID-19 stopped training in Victoria.
The council voted 5-4 in May to stop Storm using council-run grounds before Albury football club offered its oval for training.
Mr Eden said Storm chief executive Dave Donaghy texted him on Sunday before the game thanking him for his help earlier in the year.
However, the former Sydney top grade player said luring NRL clubs to Albury for matches or training would be tough despite mayor Kevin Mack, some councillors and staff having supported the Storm's camp.
"The perception that came from that debacle is going to be hard to overcome and we're going to work at it," Mr Eden said.
He added there were also flow-on effects to attracting high-level visits from those involved in the AFL, soccer and rugby.
Councillors did not offer congratulations to the Storm at their meeting on Monday night.
