Coming to Melbourne best thing for Storm star Ryan Hoffman CLUB MAN: Ryan Hoffman is loving life in Melbourne. RYAN Hoffman doesn't have to look far for confirmation that shifting to Melbourne was the best decision he ever made. At work he sees the premiership and World Club Challenge trophies he's won with his Storm teammates, among whom are three of the best players in the world. And at home there is a daily reminder in his wife, Mel, who is pregnant with their first child. "She's a Melbourne girl and, if I didn't come here, I wouldn't have met her," Hoffman said this week as he prepared for his 200th game. It's a bit of fate, maybe, but reinforces what a great decision I made. Yeah I've made sacrifices, but nothing I regret, and I think my wife has made as many sacrifices as I have. In my footy, personal life, in everything, moving to Melbourne was the best thing I have ever done. A spot in Storm's "top squad" and a desire to get out of home convinced an 18-year-old Hoffman to head south in 2002. I was in my last year of school and I really wanted something different. I wanted a different challenge," he recalled. And I wanted to leave home and see what type of man I would become. Storm skipper Cameron Smith, one of Hoffman's first housemates, praised the man his long-time friend had become. He's a wonderful clubman. He really cherishes his opportunity to pull on a purple jersey every week," Smith said. He was a big, lanky, skinny kid when he got to the club, like a baby giraffe, a bit clumsy, and he stumbled around the joint a bit. But he's a bloke you'd love to be beside in the trenches. If a bullet was coming towards you, he'd step in front of it, that's the type of guy Ryan is. I'm glad I get to play in his 200th. Hoffman will be the fifth Storm player to reach 200 games, joining Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, and Matt Geyer. Not among that crew is Stephen Kearney, the former Storm captain and assistant coach on to whom Hoffman latched when he arrived at the club and copied not just on the field but off it, too. "In 2003 I got to room with him (on road trips) quite a bit and he probably got sick of me talking to him, picking his brain, asking about all these different things," Hoffman said. But his preparation and his professionalism, that's what got me. He didn't get overly nervous or worry about things he couldn't control. That was the biggest thing, to worry only about what you could do. Hoffman has developed into one of the most damaging edge runners in the game, with State of Origin and Test caps under his belt. He's also witnessed first-hand two of rugby league's greatest careers. "I lived with Cam (Smith) when I first got here and I noticed how easily stuff came to him," Hoffman said. Smithy played State of Origin that year as well. With Bill (Slater), in 2003 everything he touched turned to gold. I was just coming into first grade where as Bill set the NRL on fire and being a fly on the wall and watching how he handled that situation was amazing. Enjoying the success of his teammates means as much to Hoffman as personal milestones such as tries in the 2009 and 2012 grand final wins. "What I love about the highlights, when you watch the replay, I love watching the guys react," he said. It's one of the best feelings to score a try and everyone jumps on you. It's a lot of hard work from a lot of people to get that. That's a great thing.