2002 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
NRL Rank | 10th | |||
2002 record | Wins: 9; draws: 1; losses: 14 | |||
Points scored | For: 556; against: 586 | |||
Team information | ||||
Executive Director | John Ribot | |||
Coach | Mark Murray | |||
Captain |
| |||
Stadium | Olympic Park | |||
Avg. attendance | 9,088 | |||
High attendance | 12,044 (Round 1) | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Aaron Moule (17) | |||
Goals | Matt Orford (62) | |||
Points | Matt Orford (156) | |||
|
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. [1] As of 2022 [update] , it is also the most recent time that the Storm missed the finals due to not winning enough games. [2] It was Mark Murray's final season as coach of the club. [3]
In 2002 the Storm returned to Olympic Park. The club secured no big name player signings for the season as it kept under the NRL imposed salary cap.
In an effort to reignite its floundering success the return to its smaller home ground was seen by players and supporters as a positive move. The club though continued to deliver hot and cold performances as the season progressed, leaving them on the fringe of the Top 8 (from only 15 competitors).
The club suffered internal turmoil during the season, particularly when the captaincy was removed from Robbie Kearns and given to Rodney Howe. The Storm was also troubled over the renegotiation of club stalwart Richard Swain's contract - he reluctantly signed for Brisbane for 2003 when the Storm (citing salary cap issues) failed to make him an offer.
The Storm's season again came down to needing to win its final round game to reach the semi-finals. In a repeat of 2001, Melbourne appeared to lack enthusiasm when it mattered and again lost a crucial match. [4]
Round | Player | Milestone |
---|---|---|
Round 1 | Ian Sibbit | Storm debut |
Round 1 | Shane Walker | Storm debut |
Round 1 | Mitchell Sargent | NRL debut |
Round 1 | William Leyshon | Storm debut |
Round 2 | Robbie Kearns | 200th game |
Round 2 | Michael Russo | NRL debut |
Round 3 | Danny Williams | 150th game |
Round 3 | Marty Turner | NRL debut |
Round 4 | Matt Geyer | 100th game |
Round 5 | Cameron Smith | NRL debut |
Round 7 | Kirk Reynoldson | NRL debut |
Round 8 | Stephen Kearney | 200th game |
Round 11 | Keith Mason | Storm debut |
Round 13 | Aaron Moule | 100th game |
Round 25 | Matt Rua | 100th game |
Melbourne's jerseys were again manufactured by Fila and unchanged from the designs worn in 2001. The player names on the backs of jerseys were dropped in favour of front of jersey advertiser Adecco. The quirk of the season came in both round 7 against the New Zealand Warriors and round 20 against Penrith Panthers as due to a jersey clashes, Melbourne wore the 1999-2000 gold jersey. However, the club was subsequently issued with a $3,000 breach notice after the match against Penrith, as the jerseys were missing the Telstra Premiership logos.
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 February | Trial | Wests Tigers | Marley Brown Oval, Gladstone | Won | 30 | 18 | A Duncan (2), K Mason, P Whatuira, S Bell, S Walker | M Turner (1), M Geyer (2) | [5] | |
2 March | Trial | St George Illawarra Dragons | Eric Weissel Oval, Wagga Wagga | Lost | 14 | 40 | S Bell (2), P Robinson | M Turner (1) | [9] |
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 March | 1 | Canberra Raiders | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 16 | 12 | M Bai, M Sargent | M Orford 4/4 | [10] | ||
23 March | 2 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Toyota Park, Sydney | Lost | 24 | 30 | S Bell (2), R Kearns, M Orford | M Orford 4/4 | [11] | ||
30 March | 3 | North Queensland Cowboys | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 38 | 10 | S Bell (2), M Bai, M Geyer, A Moule, H Perenara, M Rua, D Williams | M Turner 3/8 | [12] | ||
6 April | 4 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney | Won | 32 | 30 | S Kearney (2), M Bai, S Hill, A Moule, R Swain | M Turner 4/6 | [13] | ||
13 April | 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 6 | 22 | I Sibbit | R Swain 1/1 | [14] | ||
20 April | 6 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 12 | 4 | J Langi, M Russo | R Swain 2/2, C Smith 0/1 | [15] | ||
27 April | 7 | New Zealand Warriors | Ericsson Stadium, Auckland | Lost | 10 | 20 | S Hill, A Moule | R Swain 1/2 | [16] | ||
4 May | 8 | Newcastle Knights | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 28 | 36 | M Orford (2), S Kearney, A Moule, K Reynoldson | R Swain 4/5 | [17] | ||
11 May | 9 | Sydney Roosters | Aussie Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 6 | 34 | J Langi | R Swain 1/1 | [18] | ||
18 May | 10 | Parramatta Eels | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 20 | 22 | W Leyshon (2), A Moule, K Reynoldson | R Swain 2/4, M Orford 0/2 | [19] | ||
25 May | 11 | New Zealand Warriors | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 12 | 28 | M Orford, R Ross | M Orford 2/2 | [20] | ||
1 June | 12 | Bye | |||||||||
8 June | 13 | Newcastle Knights | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle | Lost | 16 | 37 | A Moule, R Ross | M Orford 4/4 | [21] | ||
15 June | 14 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | Draw | 30 | 30 | M Orford (2), W Leyshon, R Swain, D Williams | M Orford 5/6 | [22] | ||
22 June | 15 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 44 | 6 | A Moule (2), R Kearns, J Langi, H Perenara, R Ross, M Russo | M Orford 8/9 | [23] | ||
29 June | 16 | Northern Eagles | Brookvale Oval, Sydney | Lost | 22 | 36 | J Langi, P Robinson, R Ross, R Swain | M Orford 3/4 | [24] | ||
6 July | 17 | Wests Tigers | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 26 | 20 | W Leyshon (2), S Bell, M Geyer, R Kearns | M Orford 3/5 | [25] | ||
13 July | 18 | Sydney Roosters | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 48 | 10 | M Bai (2), A Moule (2), S Kearney, W Leyshon, M Orford, P Robinson, S Tadulala | M Orford 5/8, W Leyshon 1/1 | [26] | ||
20 July | 19 | Bye | |||||||||
27 July | 20 | Penrith Panthers | Penrith Park, Sydney | Lost | 16 | 36 | A Moule, R Ross, S Tadulala | M Orford 2/3 | [27] | ||
3 August | 21 | Brisbane Broncos | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 20 | 48 | M Bai, A Moule, R Ross, R Swain | M Orford 2/4 | [28] | ||
10 August | 22 | North Queensland Cowboys | Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville | Won | 40 | 30 | S Bell (2), S Kearney, A Moule, M Orford, I Sibbit, R Swain | M Orford 6/8 | [29] | ||
17 August | 23 | Penrith Panthers | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 42 | 10 | A Moule (3), S Bell (2), S Hill, F Moala | M Orford 6/6, R Swain 1/1 | [30] | ||
24 August | 24 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney | Lost | 16 | 26 | M Bai, S Bell, S Hill | M Orford 2/3 | [31] | ||
30 August | 25 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Sydney Showground, Sydney | Lost | 16 | 24 | M Geyer, I Sibbit | M Orford 4/4 | [32] | ||
7 September | 26 | Canberra Raiders | Bruce Stadium, Canberra | Lost | 16 | 25 | M Bai (2), A Moule | M Orford 2/3 | [33] |
Source: [34]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 688 | 454 | +234 | 38 |
2 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 724 | 498 | +226 | 38 |
3 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 672 | 425 | +247 | 37 |
4 | Sydney Roosters (P) | 24 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 621 | 405 | +216 | 35 |
5 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 653 | 597 | +56 | 34 |
6 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 531 | 440 | +91 | 26 |
7 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 632 | 546 | +86 | 25 |
8 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 471 | 641 | -170 | 25 |
9 | Northern Eagles | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 503 | 740 | -237 | 24 |
10 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 556 | 586 | -30 | 23 |
11 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 496 | 803 | -307 | 20 |
12 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 546 | 654 | -108 | 18 |
13 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 498 | 642 | -144 | 18 |
14 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 385 | 817 | -432 | 14 |
15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 24 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 707 | 435 | +272 | 81 |
1The Bulldogs were deducted 37 premiership points due to gross salary cap breaches.
List current as of 11 August 2021 [36] [37]
Losses
| Gains
|
This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2002.
Player | City vs Country Origin | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Midseason Test [d] | October Tests [e] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matt Geyer | City | – | – | – | – | – |
Scott Hill | Country | – | New South Wales | New South Wales | Australia | Australia |
Stephen Kearney | – | – | – | – | – | New Zealand |
Robbie Kearns | City (c) | – | – | – | – | – |
Keith Mason | – | – | – | – | – | Wales |
Richard Swain | – | – | – | – | – | New Zealand |
This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2002 NRL season.
Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcus Bai | 24 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
Steven Bell | 15 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
Matt Geyer | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Scott Hill | 21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Rodney Howe | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Stephen Kearney | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Robbie Kearns | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Junior Langi | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
William Leyshon | 22 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 26 |
Keith Mason | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fifita Moala | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Aaron Moule | 21 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 68 |
Matt Orford | 19 | 8 | 62 | 0 | 156 |
Henry Perenara | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Kirk Reynoldson | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Peter Robinson | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Robbie Ross | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
Matt Rua | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Michael Russo | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Mitchell Sargent | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Ian Sibbit | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Cameron Smith | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Richard Swain | 24 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 44 |
Semi Tadulala | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Marty Turner | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Shane Walker | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Danny Williams | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
27 players used | — | 98 | 82 | 0 | 556 |
Most points in a game: 18 points
Most tries in a game: 3
Highest score in a winning game: 48 points
Lowest score in a winning game: 12 points
Greatest winning margin: 38 points
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 2
Highest score in a losing game: 28 points
Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points
Greatest losing margin: 28 points
Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 6 [f]
Melbourne Storm reserve players again travelled to Brisbane each week to play with Queensland Cup team Norths Devils. Terry Matterson took over the coaching role with Mark Murray and Anthony Griffin making the move to Melbourne in 2001. [35] Making the finals for the fifth straight season, Norths Devils finished fifth, and won through to the preliminary final of the 2002 Queensland Cup. Melbourne Storm rookie Cameron Smith won the Devils Player of the Year Award.
2002 Queensland Cup | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
5 | Norths Devils | 22 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 774 | 441 | +363 | 28 |
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 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 2014 Melbourne Storm season was the 17th in the club's history. They competed in the 2014 NRL season and were coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith. In 2014 the Storm struggled to achieve consistent success, however won enough games late in the season to qualify for the NRL finals in 6th place. The club finished outside the top four for the first time since 2005. It was a roller coaster campaign that kicked off with consecutive one-point wins, courtesy of field goals from Smith and Cooper Cronk. Five of the club's wins during season came at a combined 17 points. Injuries to Cronk and Billy Slater (shoulder) during the Origin period saw the Storm lose four of six games during that stretch, as they were left clinging to eighth spot on the NRL ladder. The team managed to steady the ship by winning six of their last eight regular season games to finish sixth.
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.