2001 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
NRL Rank | 9th | |||
2001 record | Wins: 11; draws: 1; losses: 14 | |||
Points scored | For: 704; against: 725 | |||
Team information | ||||
Executive Director | John Ribot | |||
Coach | Chris Anderson Mark Murray | |||
Captain |
| |||
Stadium | Docklands Stadium | |||
Avg. attendance | 11,969 | |||
High attendance | 15,470 (Round 21) | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Matt Orford (15) Aaron Moule (15) | |||
Goals | Matt Orford (78) | |||
Points | Matt Orford (216) | |||
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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. [1]
The 2001 season was the least successful in the Storm's history, missing the play-offs for the first time. After making a decision to move base from Olympic Park to the larger Colonial Stadium, the club seemed to lack the support, atmosphere and composure they had built up. It reflected in the team's on field performances, losing four of their first six homes games and 7 from their opening 10 overall. Amidst this time the Storm was rocked when coach Anderson quit the club after the 42-18 loss to Parramatta in Round 7.
Along with Richard Swain and Matt Orford, replacement coach Mark Murray lifted the Storm from their bad beginning. Melbourne won seven of their next ten games to reach 6th place on the ladder.
But the bad start had taken its toll, and with the 2001 finals in sight they won only two more games. A last round loss to Canberra saw the Storm finish outside the Top 8.
The 2001 season continued to mark the endurability of Kiwi Test hooker Richard Swain. He was on the field for every minute of the Storm's season and had yet to miss a game for Melbourne in the club's history. [2]
Round | Player | Milestone |
---|---|---|
Round 1 | Junior Langi | Storm debut |
Round 1 | Matt Orford | Storm debut |
Round 1 | Steven Bell | NRL debut |
Round 4 | Paul Whatuira | Storm debut |
Round 5 | Richard Swain | 100th game |
Round 5 | Henry Perenara | Storm debut |
Round 11 | Marcus Bai | 100th game |
Round 14 | Paul Sheedy | NRL debut |
Round 15 | Scott Hill | 100th game |
Round 18 | Melbourne Storm | 100th game |
Round 23 | Russell Bawden | 100th game |
Round 24 | Semi Tadulala | NRL debut |
Melbourne's jerseys were again manufactured by Fila and carried the same design as the 1999-2000 home jersey. A new purple away jersey design with white and silver thunderbolts was worn in select games, with navy shorts and purple socks. For the first time, the jerseys displayed a front sponsor, with a white Adecco logo in a red box on the home jersey, with just the white logo on the purple away jersey.
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
27 January | Trial | Penrith Panthers | Lavington Sports Ground, Albury | Won | 40 | 18 | B Roarty (2), B Martin, P Robinson, T Whatuira, M Bai, D Williams, B Watts | M Orford (3), T Lavea | [6] | |
2 February | Trial | Northern Eagles | Brookvale Oval, Sydney | Lost | 30 | 40 | M Orford (2), B Roarty, J Langi, B Watts, R Ross | T Lavea (3) | [7] [8] [9] |
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 February | 1 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Lost | 10 | 14 | M Bai | T Lavea 3/3 | [10] | |
24 February | 2 | North Queensland Cowboys | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Lost | 28 | 32 | B Roarty (2), M Bai, B Watts, D Williams | T Lavea 2/3, M Orford 2/3 | [11] | |
3 March | 3 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | Won | 20 | 16 | B Watts (2), M Bai, M Orford | T Lavea 2/5 | [12] | |
11 March | 4 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Won | 34 | 24 | M Geyer, S Hill, J Langi, M Orford, M Rua, P Whatuira | T Lavea 5/7 | [13] | |
18 March | 5 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney | Lost | 10 | 40 | R Kearns, R Swain | T Lavea 1/2 | [14] | |
25 March | 6 | Newcastle Knights | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Lost | 28 | 36 | S Hill, A Moule, M Orford, R Ross, R Swain | T Lavea 3/4, M Geyer 1/1 | [15] | |
31 March | 7 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 18 | 42 | J Langi, A Moule, H Perenara | M Orford 3/3 | [16] | |
8 April | 8 | Brisbane Broncos | ANZ Stadium, Brisbane | Lost | 16 | 18 | M Bai, M Orford, H Perenara | M Orford 2/3 | [17] | |
13 April | 9 | Northern Eagles | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Won | 52 | 18 | A Moule (4), M Bai (2), R Bawden, S Hill, S Kearney | M Orford 8/10 | [18] | |
22 April | 10 | Sydney Roosters | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Lost | 22 | 23 | M Bai, M Orford, M Rua, P Whatuira | M Orford 3/5 | [19] | |
29 April | 11 | Penrith Panthers | Penrith Park, Sydney | Won | 14 | 58 | M Orford (2), D Williams (2), S Bell, M Geyer, S Hill, B Roarty, R Ross, M Rua, R Swain | M Orford 7/11 | [20] | |
12 May | 12 | New Zealand Warriors | Ericsson Stadium, Auckland | Won | 40 | 20 | A Moule (2), S Bell, S Hill, M Orford, R Ross, D Williams | M Orford 6/8 | [21] | |
19 May | 13 | Canberra Raiders | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Won | 32 | 28 | M Geyer (2), R Bawden, A Moule, P Robinson, R Ross | M Orford 4/7 | [22] | |
27 May | 14 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Sydney Showground, Sydney | Lost | 28 | 26 | M Bai, R Bawden, S Bell, M Geyer, P Robinson | M Orford 3/6 | [23] | |
2 June | 15 | North Queensland Cowboys | Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville | Won | 24 | 38 | S Bell (2), M Geyer (2), S Kearney, A Moule, H Perenara | M Orford 5/8 | [24] | |
17 June | 16 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Won | 34 | 28 | M Bai, S Bell, M Geyer, S Hill, F Moala, H Perenara | M Orford 5/6 | [25] | |
23 June | 17 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Toyota Park, Sydney | Lost | 18 | 40 | S Bell, M Geyer, A Moule, M Orford | M Orford 1/4 | [26] | |
5 July | 18 | Wests Tigers | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Won | 64 | 0 | M Geyer (3), A Moule (2), R Howe, F Moala, M Orford, H Perenara, B Roarty, R Swain | M Orford 10/11 | [27] | |
15 July | 19 | Newcastle Knights | Marathon Stadium, Newcastle | Lost | 16 | 48 | M Bai, F Moala, M Orford | M Orford 2/4 | [28] | |
20 July | 20 | Parramatta Eels | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Lost | 10 | 54 | A Moule, M Orford | M Orford 1/2 | [29] | |
29 July | 21 | Brisbane Broncos | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Won | 32 | 28 | M Bai, S Bell, M Geyer, F Moala, M Orford, R Swain | M Orford 4/6 | [30] | |
4 August | 22 | Northern Eagles | NorthPower Stadium, Gosford | Lost | 12 | 20 | F Moala, M Orford | M Orford 2/4 | [31] | |
12 August | 23 | Sydney Roosters | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 28 | 50 | S Kearney (2), S Bell, F Moala, P Robinson | M Orford 4/5 | [32] | |
20 August | 24 | Penrith Panthers | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Won | 28 | 24 | R Ross (2), R Bawden, S Bell, T Lavea | M Orford 4/6 | [33] | |
27 August | 25 | New Zealand Warriors | Colonial Stadium, Melbourne | Draw | 24 | 24 | S Bell, M Geyer, A Moule, M Orford, H Perenara | M Geyer 1/2, M Orford 1/3 | [34] | |
1 September | 26 | Canberra Raiders | Bruce Stadium, Canberra | Lost | 6 | 32 | D Williams | M Orford 1/1 | [35] |
Source: [36]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Parramatta Eels | 26 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 839 | 406 | +433 | 42 | |
2 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 617 | 568 | +49 | 37 | |
3 | Newcastle Knights (P) | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 782 | 639 | +143 | 33 | |
4 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 26 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 594 | 513 | +81 | 32 | |
5 | Brisbane Broncos | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 696 | 511 | +185 | 29 | |
6 | Sydney Roosters | 26 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 647 | 589 | +58 | 27 | |
7 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 661 | 573 | +88 | 26 | |
8 | New Zealand Warriors | 26 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 638 | 629 | +9 | 26 | |
9 | Melbourne Storm | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 704 | 725 | -21 | 23 | |
10 | Northern Eagles | 26 | 11 | 1 | 14 | 603 | 750 | -147 | 23 | |
11 | Canberra Raiders | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 600 | 623 | -23 | 19 | |
12 | Wests Tigers | 26 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 474 | 746 | -272 | 19 | |
13 | North Queensland Cowboys | 26 | 6 | 2 | 18 | 514 | 771 | -257 | 14 | |
14 | Penrith Panthers | 26 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 521 | 847 | -326 | 14 |
List current as of 10 August 2021 [37]
Losses
| Gains
|
In conjunction with the celebrations for Melbourne's 100th game in round 18 against Wests, Melbourne ran a "team of the century" promotion to honour the best 17 players over the first 100 games of the club's existence. The team was announced during half time of the round 21 game against Brisbane. [4]
Team of the Century | Interchange | Coach | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Head coach
Updated: 14 September 2021 |
This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2001.
Player | City vs Country Origin | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Midseason Tests [c] | October Test [d] | 2001 Kangaroo tour |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcus Bai | — | — | — | — | — | Papua New Guinea | — |
Russell Bawden | — | — | Queensland | — | — | — | — |
Scott Hill | Country | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Rodney Howe | — | New South Wales | — | — | — | — | — |
Stephen Kearney | — | — | — | — | New Zealand | — | — |
Robbie Kearns | — | New South Wales | — | — | Australia | Australia | Australia |
Tasesa Lavea | — | — | — | — | New Zealand | — | — |
Matt Orford | City | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Henry Perenara | — | — | — | — | New Zealand | — | — |
Matt Rua | — | — | — | — | New Zealand | — | — |
Richard Swain | — | — | — | — | New Zealand | — | — |
This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2001 NRL season.
Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcus Bai | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
Russell Bawden | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Steven Bell | 20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
Matt Geyer | 26 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 60 |
Scott Hill | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Rodney Howe | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Stephen Kearney | 26 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Robbie Kearns | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Junior Langi | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Tasesa Lavea | 19 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 36 |
Fifita Moala | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Aaron Moule | 21 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
Brett O'Farrell | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matt Orford | 26 | 15 | 78 | 0 | 216 |
Henry Perenara | 21 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Brenton Pomery | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ben Roarty | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Peter Robinson | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Robbie Ross | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Matt Rua | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Paul Sheedy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Richard Swain | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Semi Tadulala | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brad Watts | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Paul Whatuira | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Danny Williams | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
26 players used | — | 128 | 96 | 0 | 704 |
Most points in a game: 24 points
Most tries in a game: 4 [e]
Highest score in a winning game: 64 points
Lowest score in a winning game: 20 points
Greatest winning margin: 64 points [f]
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 3
Highest score in a losing game: 28 points
Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points
Greatest losing margin: 44 points
Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 4 [e]
Melbourne Storm reserve players again travelled to Brisbane each week to play with Queensland Cup team Norths Devils. Making the finals for the fourth straight season, Norths Devils finished fourth, but were eliminated in the first week of the 2001 Queensland Cup finals.
2001 Queensland Cup | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
4 | Norths Devils | 20 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 558 | 446 | +112 | 29 |
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 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.
The 2003 Melbourne Storm season was the 6th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2003 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 5th out of 15 teams, before reaching the semi-final where they were knocked out by Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. It was Craig Bellamy's first season as head coach of the club.
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 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 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.