1998 Melbourne Storm season

Last updated

1998 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank3rd
Play-off resultSemi-final Loss
1998 recordWins: 17; draws: 1; losses: 6
Points scoredFor: 546; against: 372
Team information
Chairman John Ribot
Coach Chris Anderson
Captain
Stadium Olympic Park
Avg. attendance12,716
High attendance20,522 (Round 4)
Top scorers
Tries Scott Hill & Marcus Bai (14)
Goals Craig Smith (51)
Points Craig Smith (110)
List of seasons 1999  >

The 1998 Melbourne Storm season was the first in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's inaugural Premiership and their first season was a major surprise to many, with the new team reaching the top of the ladder in Round 15 and finishing the regular season in 3rd place, only one win behind minor premiers Brisbane. Adopting coach Chris Anderson's new "flat-line" attack, the big Storm forwards laid a platform for their young halves Scott Hill and Brett Kimmorley to wreak havoc on opposing teams. Melbourne's front-rowers Glenn Lazarus, Robbie Kearns and Rodney Howe were all selected to play for New South Wales in the 1998 State of Origin series. A late season injury to captain Lazarus combined with a lack of Finals experience saw the Storm knocked out in the play-offs. The club though had proven they were to be taken seriously, and they had easily produced the best debut season of any new team in the game's history. [1]

Contents

Season summary

Milestone games

RoundPlayerMilestone
Round 1 See inaugural team Storm debuts
Ben Roarty NRL debut
Round 2 Robbie Ross 50th game
Matt Geyer Storm debut
Round 4 Wayne Evans Storm debut
Ben Anderson NRL debut
Round 7 Tony Martin Storm debut
Round 13 Anthony Bonus Storm debut
Wade Fenton NRL debut
Round 14 John Wilshere Storm debut
Round 15 Daniel Frame NRL debut
Round 16 Matt Rua NRL debut
Round 19 Chris Anderson 200th NRL game coached
Round 20 Tristan Brady-Smith Storm debut
Preliminary qualifying final Paul Marquet 150th game

Jerseys

1998 home jersey Melbourne Jersey 1998.png
1998 home jersey

Melbourne's inaugural jerseys were navy blue jerseys with a stylised white and purple chevron design, with gold trim and collars, worn with navy blue shorts and socks. Until late in the season, there were no advertising logos, except that of manufacturer Nike. Unusually, Melbourne carried on the Super League innovation of having player names on the back of jerseys, ostensibly to assist new fans to identify players. The team wore the predominately blue jerseys in every game in 1998, except for the round 15 game against North Queensland Cowboys, when a predominately white jersey was worn with white shorts and socks.

Fixtures

Pre season

DateRdOpponentVenueResultMel.Opp.TriesGoalsField goalsRef
7 FebruaryTrial Adelaide colours.svg Adelaide Rams North Hobart Oval, Hobart Won2622J Wilshere (2), T Brady-Smith, B Kimmorley, M BaiM Geyer 3/5 [6] [4] [7] [8] [9]
28 FebruaryTrial Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders Lavington Sports Ground, Albury Lost1634S Hill, R Swain, P MarquetM Geyer 2/3

Regular season

DateRdOpponentVenueResultMel.Opp.TriesGoalsField goalsRef
14 March1 Illawarra colours.svg Illawarra Steelers WIN Stadium, Wollongong Won1412S Hill (2)C Smith 3/3 [10]
22 March2 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs Magpies Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney Won2616M Bai, P Bell, R Kearns, R Ross, D WilliamsC Smith 3/8 [11]
28 March3 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Shark Park, Sydney Won2618R Bawden (2), M Bai, S Hill, R SwainC Smith 3/5 [12]
3 April4 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney Bears Olympic Park, Melbourne Won2416M Bai, S Hill, P Marquet, C SmithC Smith 4/5 [13]
10 April5 Auckland colours.svg Auckland Warriors Ericsson Stadium, Auckland Lost1216M Bai, P BellC Smith 2/2 [14]
19 April6 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels Parramatta Stadium, Sydney Won3222M Bai, J Carlaw, R Howe, B Kimmorley, T Nikau, R RossC Smith 4/6 [15]
25 April7 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers Olympic Park, Melbourne Won2214J Carlaw (2), P Bell, R KearnsC Smith 3/6 [16]
1 May8 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs Magpies Olympic Park, Melbourne Won5416R Ross (2), R Bawden, J Carlaw, S Hill, R Kearns, P Marquet, B Roarty, D WilliamsC Smith 9/10 [17]
8 May9 St. George colours.svg St George Dragons Olympic Park, Melbourne Lost1418R Bawden, D WilliamsC Smith 3/4 [18]
15 May10 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Won146P Bell, A MouleC Smith 3/3 [19]
24 May11 Illawarra colours.svg Illawarra Steelers Olympic Park, Melbourne Draw1414G Lazarus, R RossC Smith 3/3 [20]
31 May12 Gold Coast Chargers colours.svg Gold Coast Chargers Olympic Park, Melbourne Won626S Hill (2), R Ross (2), M Bai, R Bawden, B Kimmorley, P Marquet, T Martin, T Nikau, D WilliamsT Martin 6/8, B Kimmorley 2/3 [21]
7 June13 Balmain colours.svg Balmain Tigers Leichhardt Oval, Sydney Won2516R Bawden (2), A Moule, B RoartyB Kimmorley 2/4, T Martin 2/2B Kimmorley [22]
13 June14 Adelaide colours.svg Adelaide Rams Olympic Park, Melbourne Won244S Hill (2), M Bai, B RoartyJ Wilshere 3/4, B Kimmorley 1/1 [23]
20 June15 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys Malanda Stadium, Townsville Won108R BawdenC Smith 3/4 [24]
27 June16 Auckland colours.svg Auckland Warriors Olympic Park, Melbourne Lost2124S Hill, T Martin, T Nikau, R RossC Smith 2/5B Kimmorley [25]
3 July17 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos ANZ Stadium, Brisbane Lost1634M Bai, B Kimmorley, R RossC Smith 2/3 [26]
10 July18 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Olympic Park, Melbourne Won2212P Bell, W Evans, T Martin, C SmithC Smith 2/2, B Kimmorley 1/2 [27]
17 July19 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney Bears North Sydney Oval, Sydney Lost1034J Carlaw, R SwainB Kimmorley 1/2 [28]
24 July20 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights Olympic Park, Melbourne Won3216M Bai (3), S Hill, B Kimmorley, R SwainB Kimmorley 4/7 [29]
2 August21 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney City Roosters Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Won3220P Bell, T Brady-Smith, J Carlaw, S Hill, R Kearns, P MarquetB Kimmorley 4/6 [30]
7 August22 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Olympic Park, Melbourne Won2010D Williams (2), M Bai, P BellB Kimmorley 2/4 [31]
14 August23 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney Lost48T NikauT Martin 0/1 [32]
21 August24 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders Olympic Park, Melbourne Won1612S Hill, B Kimmorley, T MartinB Kimmorley 2/3 [33]

Source: [34]

Finals

Preliminary qualifying final
Sunday, 30 August
15:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm Melbourne colours.svg 12 – 26 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney City Roosters
Tries:2
Bai Ru ball.svg
Marquet Ru ball.svg
Goals:2
Smith Rugby penalty.svg(2/3)
1st: 4–10
2nd: 8–16
Report
Tries:4
Barnett Ru ball.svg
Elsegood Ru ball.svg
Fittler Ru ball.svg
Gourley Ru ball.svg
Goals:5
Cleary Rugby penalty.svg(5/6)
Olympic Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 18,247
Referee: Paul McBlane

Elimination quarter final
Saturday, 5 September
15:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm Melbourne colours.svg 24 – 10 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders
Tries:5
Martin Ru ball.svg 24', 74'
Geyer Ru ball.svg 2'
Hill Ru ball.svg 17'
Bai Ru ball.svg 35'
Goals:2
Kimmorley Rugby penalty.svg pen 5', 17'(2/6)
1st: 20–0
2nd: 4–10
Report
Tries:2
Mullins Ru ball.svg 56'
Stuart Ru ball.svg 76'
Goals:1
Furner Rugby penalty.svg 57'(1/1)
McNamara (0/1)
Olympic Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 12,592
Referee: Steve Clark

Elimination semi final
Sunday, 13 September
15:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Brisbane Broncos Brisbane colours.svg 30 – 6 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm
Tries:6
Renouf Ru ball.svgRu ball.svg
Campion Ru ball.svg
Carroll Ru ball.svg
Lee Ru ball.svg
Lockyer Ru ball.svg
Goals:3
Lockyer Rugby penalty.svg(3/6)
1st: 10–2
2nd: 20–4
Report
Tries:1
Geyer Ru ball.svg
Goals:1
Kimmorley Rugby penalty.svg(1/2)
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 20,354
Referee: Bill Harrigan

Ladder

PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos (P)241815688310+37837
2 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights 241815562381+18137
3 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 241716546372+17435
4 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels 241716468349+11935
5 North Sydney colours.svg North Sydney Bears 241707663367+29634
6 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney City Roosters 241608680383+29732
7 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders 241509564429+13530
8 St. George colours.svg St. George Dragons 2413110486490-427
9 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2413011489411+7826
10 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 2413011503473+3026
11 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2412111438387+5125
12 Illawarra colours.svg Illawarra Steelers 2411112476539-6323
13 Balmain colours.svg Balmain Tigers 249114381463-8219
14 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 248214525580-5518
15 Auckland colours.svg Auckland Warriors 249015417518-10118
16 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 249015361556-19518
17 Adelaide colours.svg Adelaide Rams 247017393615-22214
18 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 245019339560-22110
19 Gold Coast Chargers colours.svg Gold Coast Chargers 244020289654-3658
20 Western Suburbs colours.svg Western Suburbs Magpies 244020371802-4318

1998 Coaching Staff

1998 squad

List current as of 21 July 2021 [35]

Cap [lower-alpha 1] Nat.Player namePositionFirst Storm GamePrevious First Grade RL club [lower-alpha 2]
1 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robbie Ross FB 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hunter Mariners
2 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Craig Smith WG 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs [lower-alpha 3]
3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Aaron Moule WG, CE 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg South Queensland Crushers
4 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Bell CE 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Perth Reds
5 Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg Marcus Bai WG 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Gold Coast Chargers
6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Scott Hill FE 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hunter Mariners
7 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Kimmorley HB 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hunter Mariners
8 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Rodney Howe PR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Perth Reds
9 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Danny Williams LK, SR, HK 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg North Sydney Bears
10 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robbie Kearns PR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Perth Reds
11 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paul Marquet PR, SR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hunter Mariners
12 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ben Roarty PR, SR, LK 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm [lower-alpha 4]
13 Flag of New Zealand.svg Tawera Nikau LK 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cronulla Sharks
14 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Glenn Lazarus PR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brisbane Broncos
15 Flag of New Zealand.svg Richard Swain HK 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hunter Mariners
16 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Russell Bawden PR 1998 Flag of England.svg London Broncos
17 Flag of Australia (converted).svg John Carlaw CE 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Hunter Mariners
18 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Matt Geyer WG 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Perth Reds
19 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Wayne Evans SR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Perth Reds
20 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ben Anderson FE 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm [lower-alpha 5]
21 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tony Martin WG, CE 1998 Flag of England.svg London Broncos
22 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Bonus PR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Parramatta Eels [lower-alpha 6]
23 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Wade Fenton SR, PR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
24 Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg John Wilshere CE 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Perth Reds
25 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Daniel Frame PR, SR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm [lower-alpha 7]
26 Flag of New Zealand.svg Matt Rua PR, SR 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm [lower-alpha 8]
27 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tristan Brady-Smith WG 1998 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Perth Reds
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Baker SR Yet to debut [lower-alpha 9]
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Gundry PR Yet to debut [lower-alpha 10]
Flag of New Zealand.svg Chris McCausland FE Yet to debut [lower-alpha 10]
Flag of Tonga.svg David Palavi HK Yet to debut [lower-alpha 11]

Inaugural Team

The first Melbourne Storm team to take to the field in Round 1 of the 1998 NRL season [36]

Melbourne Storm
Inaugural TeamInterchangeCoach

Head coach



Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice captain(s)

Updated: 23 July 2020
Source(s): NRL 1998 Round 1

Representative honours

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 1998.

Player 1998 ANZAC Test State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 October Test Matches
Rodney Howe AustraliaNew South WalesNew South Wales
Robbie Kearns New South WalesAustralia
Glenn Lazarus AustraliaNew South WalesNew South Wales

Statistics

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 1998 NRL season.

Name Appearances Tries Goals Field goals Points
Ben Anderson 40000
Marcus Bai 27140056
Russell Bawden 2780032
Paul Bell 2570028
Anthony Bonus 10000
Tristan Brady-Smith 31004
John Carlaw 2460024
Wayne Evans 171004
Wade Fenton 20000
Daniel Frame 70000
Matt Geyer 112008
Scott Hill 26141058
Rodney Howe 121004
Robbie Kearns 2640016
Brett Kimmorley 27522266
Glenn Lazarus 181004
Paul Marquet 2750020
Tony Martin 2168040
Aaron Moule 82008
Tawera Nikau 2740016
Ben Roarty 2530012
Robbie Ross 2190036
Matt Rua 60000
Craig Smith 172510110
Richard Swain 2530012
Danny Williams 2060024
John Wilshere 10306
27 players used104852588

Scorers

Most points in a game: 18 points

Most tries in a game: 3

Winning games

Highest score in a winning game: 62 points

Lowest score in a winning game: 10 points

Greatest winning margin: 54 points

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 4

Losing games

Highest score in a losing game: 21 points

Lowest score in a losing game: 4 points

Greatest losing margin: 24 points

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 2

Feeder team

Upon entry to the NRL, Melbourne Storm signed an affiliation agreement with Queensland Cup team Norths Devils to act as a feeder club and to provide Melbourne players who were not selected to play first grade a match each weekend. Players would fly to Brisbane each week after training in Melbourne to play Queensland Cup. The arrangement bore immediate results as the side coached by Mark Murray won the minor premiership. Featuring a number of players who had played for Melbourne in 1998, Norths Devils would go on to win the 1998 Queensland Cup Grand Final 35–18 against Wests Panthers.

1998 Queensland Cup
PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
1 Norths Devils colours.svg Norths Devils (P)221615872394+47833

Awards and honours

Notes

  1. Players are listed with the cap number as they appear on the Melbourne Storm honour board. Additional squad members do not have a cap number.
  2. This column denotes the previous RL club the player was signed to and played first grade RL for. If they are yet to debut then this is stipulated. If they were merely signed to the club but did not play then it is not counted.
  3. Reserve grade 1997, previous first grade experience with North Sydney Bears in 1994
  4. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs reserve grade 1997
  5. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs juniors 1997
  6. Released end of 1996 ARL season
  7. Woy Woy Roosters
  8. Manly Warringah Sea Eagles reserve grade 1997
  9. Perth junior, played for Australian Schoolboys rugby league team in 1997
  10. 1 2 Perth Reds junior in 1997
  11. Canberra Raiders junior, former Australian Schoolboys rugby union team player

Related Research Articles

The 2007 Melbourne Storm season was the 10th in the club's history. They competed for NRL's 2007 Telstra Premiership, finishing the season in 1st place to claim the minor premiership before going on to reach the 2007 NRL grand final, their third. In the grand final the Storm defeated the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles to claim their second premiership. However two years after the event Melbourne were stripped of their 2007 titles after being found guilty of long-term salary cap breaches.

The 2006 Melbourne Storm season was the 9th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership, winning a record 20 out of 24 regular season games to finish in first place and win the minor premiership, eight points clear of the second-placed Bulldogs. The team backed up their stellar defensive effort the previous year to concede just 404 points in 2006. The retirement of Robbie Kearns saw a rotating captaincy introduced between David Kidwell, Scott Hill, Cameron Smith, Matt Geyer and Michael Crocker. Cooper Cronk also assumed the halfback duties following the departure of Matt Orford. Storm won 13 of their last 14 games of the season to take a great run of form into the finals where they progressed to reach their first Grand Final since 1999 after wins over the Eels and Dragons. This broke a run of three straight semi-final exits for Craig Bellamy’s team.

The 2004 Melbourne Storm season was the 7th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2004 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 6th out of 15 teams.

The 2005 Melbourne Storm season was the 8th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2005 Telstra Premiership, finishing the regular season 6th out of 15 teams and making the finals. The season began with two big wins over the Knights and Dragons, each by more than 30 points. The form line followed a similar path to the previous season though as the team struggled to string consecutive wins together and hovered around the lower part of the eight for much of the season before ultimately finishing sixth once again. Future star Greg Inglis made his debut in Round 6. Storm finished the season with the second best defence in the competition and again went to Suncorp Stadium in Week One of the finals, producing the same result to defeat the Broncos. However for the third straight season the side was unable to progress past the semi-final stage, losing to the Cowboys. At the end of the season, Storm legends Robbie Kearns and Matt Geyer were inducted as inaugural life members of the Club.

The 2008 Melbourne Storm season was the 11th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2008 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season as minor premiers before reaching the grand final in which they were beaten by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 40–0, the largest margin in grand final history. The minor premiership won by the Storm in 2008 was later stripped by the NRL in 2010 when it was revealed the club had been in breach of salary cap rules.

The 2009 Melbourne Storm season was the 12th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 4th out of 16 teams. They then progressed to their fourth consecutive grand final, this time to be played against the Parramatta Eels and won, claiming their second premiership in three seasons, a title later stripped in 2010 after being found guilty of salary cap breaches.

The 1999 Melbourne Storm season was the second in the club's history. Coached by Chris Anderson and captained by Glenn Lazarus, they competed in the National Rugby League's 1999 season, finishing the regular season in 3rd out of 17 teams. Melbourne reached the 1999 NRL Grand Final and defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons, claiming their first premiership.

The 2010 Melbourne Storm season was the 13th in the club's history and competed in the NRL's 2010 Telstra Premiership. After winning the first four games of the season, Storm's season would hit a significant challenge after Round 6 when the NRL penalised the club for salary cap breaches with the team unable to play for points for the remainder of the season. These revelations also saw them stripped of the 2007 and 2009 Premierships and the 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premiership titles.

The 2011 Melbourne Storm season was the 14th in the club's history. They competed in the 2011 NRL season and finished the regular season in first place, winning the J.J. Giltinan Shield for taking out the minor premiership.

The 2002 Melbourne Storm season was the 5th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2002 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season in 10th place making it their lowest finishing position until 2010, when it was sentenced to finish that season last due to gross salary cap breaches. As of 2022, it is also the most recent time that the Storm missed the finals due to not winning enough games. It was Mark Murray's final season as coach of the club.

The 2001 Melbourne Storm season was the 4th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2001 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season in 9th place.

The 2000 Melbourne Storm season was the third in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2000 Premiership and finished the regular season in sixth place, being eliminated in the first week of the finals.

The 2015 Melbourne Storm season is the 18th in the club's history. They competed in the 2015 NRL season and were coached by Craig Bellamy, who was coach for the 13th consecutive season and captained by Cameron Smith, sole captain for the 8th consecutive season. He played his 300th NRL Game in Round 19 becoming only the 24th player in history to do so.

The 2016 Melbourne Storm season was the 19th in the club's history, they competed in the 2016 NRL season and were coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching for his 14th consecutive season during which he coached his 350th Game. Melbourne Storm were also captained in 2016 by Cameron Smith, who was the sole captain for the team since 2008 making this his 9th consecutive season. In the pre-season the Storm competed in the 2016 Auckland Nines tournament, reaching the semi-finals.

The 2017 Melbourne Storm season was the 20th in the club's history. They competed in the 2017 NRL season and at the end of the Regular season had finished in 1st place earning them their third legitimate minor premiership. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 15th consecutive season. Melbourne Storm were also captained by Cameron Smith, who has been the sole captain for the team since 2008—making this his 10th consecutive season. Cameron Smith broke a number of league, club and personal records throughout the 2017 season including the NRL games record for the most games played, league record for the most wins as a captain, a personal best for the most points in a game and also scored his 2000th career point and 1000th career goal, the first time any player has achieved this.

The 2018 Melbourne Storm season was the 21st in the club's history. They competed in the 2018 NRL season and did so as the reigning Premiers and Minor Premiers. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 16th consecutive season. Melbourne Storm was also captained by Cameron Smith, who has been the sole captain for the team since 2008 — making it his 11th consecutive season. In 2018, the club celebrated its 20th Anniversary, which was launched on 30 October 2017 with the announcement that a new logo would feature for the duration of the 20 year celebrations including on a newly designed jersey.

The 2020 Melbourne Storm season was the 23rd in the club's history and they competed in the 2020 NRL season. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 18th consecutive season. Melbourne Storm were also captained by Cameron Smith, who had been the sole captain for the team since 2008—making this his 13th consecutive season. The season was suspended indefinitely on 23 March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; however, on 28 April the NRL announced it would recommence on 28 May as a 20 Round competition with a revised fixture.

The 2021 Melbourne Storm season was the 24th in the club's history competing in the 2021 NRL season. The team is coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 19th consecutive season. On 19 February 2021, the Melbourne Storm announced that Jesse Bromwich and Dale Finucane succeeded Cameron Smith, as co-captains of the club.

The 2022 Melbourne Storm season was the 25th in the club's history, competing in the 2022 NRL season. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 20th consecutive season and for the second straight season, Melbourne had co-captains with Jesse Bromwich, and Christian Welch sharing the duties, following the departure of Dale Finucane.

The 2023 Melbourne Storm season was the 26th in the club's history, competing in the 2023 NRL season. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 21st consecutive season. Melbourne Storm were captained by Christian Welch who was captain for the second consecutive season.

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