1998 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
NRL Rank | 3rd | |||
Play-off result | Semi-final Loss | |||
1998 record | Wins: 17; draws: 1; losses: 6 | |||
Points scored | For: 546; against: 372 | |||
Team information | ||||
Chairman | John Ribot | |||
Coach | Chris Anderson | |||
Captain |
| |||
Stadium | Olympic Park | |||
Avg. attendance | 12,716 | |||
High attendance | 20,522 (Round 4) | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Scott Hill & Marcus Bai (14) | |||
Goals | Craig Smith (51) | |||
Points | Craig Smith (110) | |||
|
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]
Round | Player | Milestone |
---|---|---|
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 |
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.
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 February | Trial | Adelaide Rams | North Hobart Oval, Hobart | Won | 26 | 22 | J Wilshere (2), T Brady-Smith, B Kimmorley, M Bai | M Geyer 3/5 | [6] [4] [7] [8] [9] | |
28 February | Trial | Canberra Raiders | Lavington Sports Ground, Albury | Lost | 16 | 34 | S Hill, R Swain, P Marquet | M Geyer 2/3 |
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 March | 1 | Illawarra Steelers | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | Won | 14 | 12 | S Hill (2) | C Smith 3/3 | [10] | |
22 March | 2 | Western Suburbs Magpies | Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney | Won | 26 | 16 | M Bai, P Bell, R Kearns, R Ross, D Williams | C Smith 3/8 | [11] | |
28 March | 3 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Shark Park, Sydney | Won | 26 | 18 | R Bawden (2), M Bai, S Hill, R Swain | C Smith 3/5 | [12] | |
3 April | 4 | North Sydney Bears | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 24 | 16 | M Bai, S Hill, P Marquet, C Smith | C Smith 4/5 | [13] | |
10 April | 5 | Auckland Warriors | Ericsson Stadium, Auckland | Lost | 12 | 16 | M Bai, P Bell | C Smith 2/2 | [14] | |
19 April | 6 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney | Won | 32 | 22 | M Bai, J Carlaw, R Howe, B Kimmorley, T Nikau, R Ross | C Smith 4/6 | [15] | |
25 April | 7 | Penrith Panthers | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 22 | 14 | J Carlaw (2), P Bell, R Kearns | C Smith 3/6 | [16] | |
1 May | 8 | Western Suburbs Magpies | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 54 | 16 | R Ross (2), R Bawden, J Carlaw, S Hill, R Kearns, P Marquet, B Roarty, D Williams | C Smith 9/10 | [17] | |
8 May | 9 | St George Dragons | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 14 | 18 | R Bawden, D Williams | C Smith 3/4 | [18] | |
15 May | 10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Won | 14 | 6 | P Bell, A Moule | C Smith 3/3 | [19] | |
24 May | 11 | Illawarra Steelers | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Draw | 14 | 14 | G Lazarus, R Ross | C Smith 3/3 | [20] | |
31 May | 12 | Gold Coast Chargers | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 62 | 6 | S Hill (2), R Ross (2), M Bai, R Bawden, B Kimmorley, P Marquet, T Martin, T Nikau, D Williams | T Martin 6/8, B Kimmorley 2/3 | [21] | |
7 June | 13 | Balmain Tigers | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney | Won | 25 | 16 | R Bawden (2), A Moule, B Roarty | B Kimmorley 2/4, T Martin 2/2 | B Kimmorley | [22] |
13 June | 14 | Adelaide Rams | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 24 | 4 | S Hill (2), M Bai, B Roarty | J Wilshere 3/4, B Kimmorley 1/1 | [23] | |
20 June | 15 | North Queensland Cowboys | Malanda Stadium, Townsville | Won | 10 | 8 | R Bawden | C Smith 3/4 | [24] | |
27 June | 16 | Auckland Warriors | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 21 | 24 | S Hill, T Martin, T Nikau, R Ross | C Smith 2/5 | B Kimmorley | [25] |
3 July | 17 | Brisbane Broncos | ANZ Stadium, Brisbane | Lost | 16 | 34 | M Bai, B Kimmorley, R Ross | C Smith 2/3 | [26] | |
10 July | 18 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 22 | 12 | P Bell, W Evans, T Martin, C Smith | C Smith 2/2, B Kimmorley 1/2 | [27] | |
17 July | 19 | North Sydney Bears | North Sydney Oval, Sydney | Lost | 10 | 34 | J Carlaw, R Swain | B Kimmorley 1/2 | [28] | |
24 July | 20 | Newcastle Knights | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 32 | 16 | M Bai (3), S Hill, B Kimmorley, R Swain | B Kimmorley 4/7 | [29] | |
2 August | 21 | Sydney City Roosters | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Won | 32 | 20 | P Bell, T Brady-Smith, J Carlaw, S Hill, R Kearns, P Marquet | B Kimmorley 4/6 | [30] | |
7 August | 22 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 20 | 10 | D Williams (2), M Bai, P Bell | B Kimmorley 2/4 | [31] | |
14 August | 23 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney | Lost | 4 | 8 | T Nikau | T Martin 0/1 | [32] | |
21 August | 24 | Canberra Raiders | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 16 | 12 | S Hill, B Kimmorley, T Martin | B Kimmorley 2/3 | [33] |
Source: [34]
Melbourne Storm | 12 – 26 | Sydney City Roosters |
---|---|---|
Tries:2 Bai Marquet Goals:2 Smith (2/3) | 1st: 4–10 2nd: 8–16 Report | Tries:4 Barnett Elsegood Fittler Gourley Goals:5 Cleary (5/6) |
Melbourne Storm | 24 – 10 | Canberra Raiders |
---|---|---|
Tries:5 Martin 24', 74' Geyer 2' Hill 17' Bai 35' Goals:2 Kimmorley pen 5', 17'(2/6) | 1st: 20–0 2nd: 4–10 Report | Tries:2 Mullins 56' Stuart 76' Goals:1 Furner 57'(1/1) McNamara (0/1) |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brisbane Broncos (P) | 24 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 688 | 310 | +378 | 37 |
2 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 18 | 1 | 5 | 562 | 381 | +181 | 37 |
3 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 546 | 372 | +174 | 35 |
4 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 17 | 1 | 6 | 468 | 349 | +119 | 35 |
5 | North Sydney Bears | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 663 | 367 | +296 | 34 |
6 | Sydney City Roosters | 24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 680 | 383 | +297 | 32 |
7 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 564 | 429 | +135 | 30 |
8 | St. George Dragons | 24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 486 | 490 | -4 | 27 |
9 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 489 | 411 | +78 | 26 |
10 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 503 | 473 | +30 | 26 |
11 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 438 | 387 | +51 | 25 |
12 | Illawarra Steelers | 24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 476 | 539 | -63 | 23 |
13 | Balmain Tigers | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 381 | 463 | -82 | 19 |
14 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 525 | 580 | -55 | 18 |
15 | Auckland Warriors | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 417 | 518 | -101 | 18 |
16 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 361 | 556 | -195 | 18 |
17 | Adelaide Rams | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 393 | 615 | -222 | 14 |
18 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 339 | 560 | -221 | 10 |
19 | Gold Coast Chargers | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 289 | 654 | -365 | 8 |
20 | Western Suburbs Magpies | 24 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 371 | 802 | -431 | 8 |
List current as of 21 July 2021 [35]
The first Melbourne Storm team to take to the field in Round 1 of the 1998 NRL season [36]
Inaugural Team | Interchange | Coach | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Head coach
Updated: 23 July 2020 |
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 | Australia | New South Wales | New South Wales | — | — |
Robbie Kearns | — | — | — | New South Wales | Australia |
Glenn Lazarus | Australia | — | New South Wales | New South Wales | — |
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 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Marcus Bai | 27 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 56 |
Russell Bawden | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
Paul Bell | 25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
Anthony Bonus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tristan Brady-Smith | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
John Carlaw | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Wayne Evans | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Wade Fenton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Daniel Frame | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matt Geyer | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Scott Hill | 26 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 58 |
Rodney Howe | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Robbie Kearns | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Brett Kimmorley | 27 | 5 | 22 | 2 | 66 |
Glenn Lazarus | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Paul Marquet | 27 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Tony Martin | 21 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 40 |
Aaron Moule | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Tawera Nikau | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Ben Roarty | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Robbie Ross | 21 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
Matt Rua | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Craig Smith | 17 | 2 | 51 | 0 | 110 |
Richard Swain | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Danny Williams | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
John Wilshere | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
27 players used | – | 104 | 85 | 2 | 588 |
Most points in a game: 18 points
Most tries in a game: 3
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
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
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 | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
1 | Norths Devils (P) | 22 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 872 | 394 | +478 | 33 |
Melbourne Storm Awards Night
| Dally M Awards Night
Additional Awards
|
Brett "Noddy" Kimmorley is an Australian rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s, 2000s, & early 2010’s. A New South Wales interstate and Australian international representative halfback, he last played for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs of the NRL. He previously played for five other clubs: Newcastle Knights, Hunter Mariners, Melbourne Storm, Northern Eagles and the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Kimmorley also represented Country NSW four times and New South Wales ten times as well as playing 15 times for his country including the 2000 World Cup. He also played two Super League Tests. He retired at the end of the 2010 NRL season.
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 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.