2010 Melbourne Storm season

Last updated

2010 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank16th (wooden spoon)
2010 recordWins: 14; draws: 0; losses: 10
Points scoredFor: 489; against: 363
Team information
CEO Brian Waldron
Matt Hanson
Frank Stanton (acting)
Ron Gauci
Coach Craig Bellamy
Captain
Stadium AAMI Park – 30,050 (9 Games)
Etihad Stadium - 53,500 (3 Games)
Avg. attendance14,670
High attendance25,480 (Round 4) [a]
Top scorers
Tries Greg Inglis (11)
Goals Cameron Smith (54)
Points Cameron Smith (116)
←  2009 List of seasons 2011  →

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.

Contents

Craig Bellamy and the players maintained an incredible focus to win 14 games for the year, the same number they achieved the previous season. That would have been enough to see them finish in fifth spot on the ladder. This season remains the only time Storm have missed the finals in the Bellamy era.

Greg Inglis scored 11 tries to finish as the team's leading try scorer in his final year at Storm. Other notable players to leave included Brett White, Ryan Hoffman, Brett Finch, Jeff Lima and Aiden Tolman. However, there were several highlights during the season with youngsters Jesse Bromwich, Matthew Duffie, Luke Kelly, Rory Kostjasyn, Justin O’Neill and Gareth Widdop all bursting on the scene.

Storm also played their first ever game at AAMI Park in Round 9. Ryan Hinchcliffe was named Storm's player of the year while Ron Gauci was installed as Storm CEO midway through the difficult season and set about rebuilding the Club over the next several seasons. Craig Bellamy continues to be highly regarded for the way he led the Club throughout 2010 and had this to say when summing up the season.

"When we found out it was obviously devastating and the year has been a drawn-out and difficult one ever since. But we stayed competitive, we unearthed some good kids and we conducted ourselves with dignity. For that I’m proud of the boys. It’s sad to see guys go especially given the massive contribution they have had to this club". - Craig Bellamy [1]

Season summary

Salary cap scandal

On 22 April 2010, the Melbourne Storm were stripped of their titles of 2007 and 2009 premierships and their 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premierships following an alleged insider tip-off to the NRL auditing body that the club had not been complying with the NRL salary cap. The club had a long-term system of keeping two sets of books, one set displaying players incomes' complying with the NRL salary cap and another hidden set in a separate room disclosing the true player payments. Following evidence of salary cap breaches, Melbourne were also fined a record $1,689,000, deducted all eight premiership points received in the season and barred from receiving any further premiership points (including those for the two byes) for the rest of the season, guaranteeing them zero points and the wooden spoon for 2010. [9]

On 24 April coach Craig Bellamy publicly announced that he vowed to rebuild the shattered club, and welcomed the NRL's investigation into the salary cap rorting before a training session with the team which was watched by thousands of cheering supporters. [10]

Players were still allowed to play Test and/or State of Origin matches and for some of those players it did not affect Queensland's bid for a fifth straight Origin series victory. Later in the season the Storm were also stripped of the 2010 World Club Challenge title, and Cameron Smith was stripped of his Man of the Match award as well. The team's under-20s team was not affected.

Milestone games

RoundPlayerMilestone
Round 1 Luke MacDougall Storm debut
Jesse Bromwich NRL debut
Rory Kostjasyn NRL debut
Round 2 Todd Lowrie Storm debut
100th NRL game
Round 3 Greg Inglis 100th game
Ryan Hinchcliffe 50th NRL game
Bryan Norrie Storm debut
Round 7 Matthew Duffie NRL debut
Gareth Widdop NRL debut
Round 12 Chase Stanley Storm debut
Round 13 Cooper Cronk 150th game
Round 14 Justin O'Neill NRL debut
Round 15 Brett Finch 250th NRL game
Round 21 Aiden Tolman 50th game
Sione Kite Storm debut
Round 24 Sika Manu 50th game
Round 26 Cameron Smith 1000 points

Attendance averages

TotalMatchesAverage
Home176,0411214,670
Away168,1091214,009
All344,1502414,340

Jerseys

Apparel supplier KooGa redesigned the home and clash jerseys for the 2010 season. The home jersey emphasised the club's purple colour, with the back of the jersey mostly purple for the first time. Two white lightning bolts featured on the front of the jersey, with navy blue side panels and shoulders. The home jersey was worn with navy blue shorts and socks.

The club's clash jersey was a similar to the home jersey but in white, with purple-coloured lightning bolts. The clash jersey was worn with purple shorts and white socks.

A one-off design was worn in the 2010 World Club Challenge match against Leeds Rhinos, with silver lightning bolts on a gradient-faded purple design on the front and back of the jersey.

Following the exposure of the salary cap breaches, major sponsors ME Bank and Hostplus removed their corporate logos from the jersey, [11] [12] with other sponsors Jayco Australia and Suzuki hastily taking their places from round 7 onward.

Fixtures

Pre Season

DateRdOpponentVenueResultMel.Opp.TriesGoalsField goalsRef
13 FebruaryTrial Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos Browne Park, Rockhampton Lost1224L MacDougall, A KillingbeckG Widdop 2/2 [13] [14] [15]
20 FebruaryTrial Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights St John Oval, Charlestown Lost1066B Leslie, F MakimareD O'Regan 1/2 [16] [17]
21 FebruaryUK Tour Quinscolours.svg Harlequins RL The Stoop, London, England Won3410D Nielsen (2), A Quinn, K Proctor, H Cahill, R KostjasynG Widdop 5/6 [2]
2010 World Club Challenge
28 February 2010
18:30 GMT (UTC+0)
Leeds Rhinos Rhinoscolours.svg 10 – 18 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm
Tries:1
McGuire Ru ball.svg 48'
Goals:3/3
Sinfield Rugby penalty.svg pen 4'(1/1)
Burrow Rugby penalty.svg pen 33', 49'(2/2)
1st: 4 – 4
2nd: 6 – 14
Report
Tries:2
MacDougall Ru ball.svg 51'
Quinn Ru ball.svg 78'
Goals:5/5
Smith Rugby penalty.svg pen 7', pen 38', 52', pen 60', 79'
Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 27,697
Referee: Richard Silverwood Flag of England.svg
Player of the Match: Cameron Smith Melbourne colours.svg
(Note: Later stripped due to Melbourne Storm's breach of the NRL's salary cap)

Regular season

Result by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
GroundAAAHAHHAHA–HAHHA–AAHHAHHAH
ResultWWWWLLWWLWBWLLWLBLLWWLWWLW
Position6331241616161616161616161616161616161616161616
Points24688800000000000000000000
Source: Rugby League Tables
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Source: [18]

DateRdOpponentVenueResultMel.Opp.TriesGoalsField goalsRef
13 March1 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Toyota Stadium, Sydney Won1410G Inglis, L MacDougallC Smith 3/3 [19]
20 March2 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights Energy Australia Stadium, Newcastle Won2014L MacDougall, A Quinn, D NielsenC Smith 4/5 [20]
27 March3 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers CUA Stadium, Sydney Won1610B Finch, B Slater, L MacDougallC Smith 2/3 [21]
2 April4 St. George Illawarra colours.svg St George Illawarra Dragons Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Won174D Nielsen, A Quinn, B SlaterC Smith 2/5C Cronk [22]
9 April5 Gold Coast Titans colours.svg Gold Coast Titans Skilled Park, Gold Coast Lost1620A Quinn (3)C Smith 2/3 [23]
19 April6 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Lost1618C Cronk (2), B NorrieC Smith 2/3 [24]
25 April7 New Zealand colours.svg New Zealand Warriors Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Won406M Duffie (2), C Smith, A Blair, R Tandy, W Isa, B SlaterC Smith 6/7 [25]
1 May8 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Won346B Norrie, M Duffie, G Inglis, B Finch, D Nielsen, A Quinn, J LimaC Smith 3/6, G Inglis 0/1 [26]
9 May9 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos AAMI Park, Melbourne Lost1436M Duffie (2), A QuinnG Inglis 1/2, C Cronk 0/1 [27]
15 May10 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders Canberra Stadium, Canberra Won176G Inglis (3)G Inglis 2/2, C Cronk 0/1B Finch [28]
22 May11 Bye
30 May12 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs AAMI Park, Melbourne Won2312D Nielsen, C Stanley, L MacDougall, G WiddopG Widdop 3/4B Finch [29]
4 June13 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels Parramatta Stadium, Sydney Lost1024B Slater, G InglisC Smith 1/2 [30]
14 June14 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters AAMI Park, Melbourne Lost638R KostjasynC Stanley 1/1 [31]
19 June15 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys AAMI Park, Melbourne Won5812J O'Neill (3), M Duffie (2), B Slater (2), G Inglis, J Lima, C CronkC Smith 5/6, G Inglis 3/3, B Finch 1/1 [32]
26 June16 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs Members Equity Stadium, Perth Lost1416J O'Neill (2), G InglisC Smith 1/3 [33]
2 July17 Bye
10 July18 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Lost1820B Finch, B Slater, S ManuC Smith 2/2, G Inglis 1/1 [34]
17 July19 New Zealand colours.svg New Zealand Warriors Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Lost613B SlaterC Smith [35]
24 July20 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers AAMI Park, Melbourne Won1810D Nielsen, J O'Neill, M DuffieC Smith 3/3 [36]
1 August21 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders AAMI Park, Melbourne Won3612D Nielsen (2), J O'Neill (2), G Inglis, B Slater, T LowrieC Smith 4/5, G Inglis 0/1, A Tolman 0/1 [37]
7 August22 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Brookvale Oval, Sydney Lost626R HoffmanC Smith 1/1 [38]
15 August23 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs AAMI Park, Melbourne Won1816R Hinchcliffe (2), B SlaterC Smith 3/3 [39]
21 August24 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks AAMI Park, Melbourne Won244C Smith, D Nielsen, S Manu, R HinchcliffeC Smith 4/4 [40]
29 August25 Wests Tigers colours.svg Wests Tigers Leichhardt Oval, Sydney Lost1426J O'Neill, W Isa, R HoffmanC Smith 1/3 [41]
5 September26 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights AAMI Park, Melbourne Won344G Inglis (2), R Hinchcliffe, R Hoffman, B White, A TolmanC Smith 4/4, J Lima 1/1, R Hoffman 0/1 [42]

Ladder

2010 NRL season
Pos.TeamPldWDLBPFPAPDPts
1 St. George colours.svg St. George Illawarra Dragons (P)2417072518299+21938
2 Panthers colours.svg Penrith Panthers 2415092645489+15634
3 Wests Tigers colours.svg Wests Tigers 2415092537503+3434
4 Gold Coast Titans colours.svg Gold Coast Titans 2415092520498+2234
5 New Zealand colours.svg New Zealand Warriors 24140102539486+5332
6 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 24140102559510+4932
7 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders 24130112499493+630
8 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24120122545510+3528
9 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 24110132584567+1726
10 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 24110132508535−2726
11 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights 24100142499569−7024
12 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels 24100142413491−7824
13 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2490152494539−4522
14 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2470172354609−25518
15 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 2450192425667−24214
16 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 24140102489363+12601

1 Melbourne were deducted eight premiership points and barred from receiving premiership points for the rest of the season due to gross long-term salary cap breaches. [43]

2010 Coaching staff

2010 squad

Cap [b] Nat.Player namePositionFirst Storm GamePrevious First Grade RL club [c]
55 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cameron Smith (c) HK 2002 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
58 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Billy Slater FB 2003 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
62 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Hoffman SR,LK 2003 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
73 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cooper Cronk HB 2004 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
76 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett White PR 2005 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
79 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Greg Inglis FE,CE,2005 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
86 Flag of New Zealand.svg Adam Blair SR,PR 2006 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
90 Flag of New Zealand.svg Jeff Lima PR,LK 2006 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Wests Tigers
91 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Quinn WG,CE 2007 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Newcastle Knights
98 Flag of New Zealand.svg Sika Manu SR 2007 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
102 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Aiden Tolman PR 2008 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
104 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Dane Nielsen WG,CE 2008 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
105 Flag of New Zealand.svg Kevin Proctor SR 2008 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
109 Flag of Tonga.svg Sinbad Kali SR, LK 2008 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
110 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Ryan Hinchcliffe HK,LK 2009 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Canberra Raiders
111 Flag of Samoa.svg Willie Isa WG,CE 2009 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Penrith Panthers
115 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Brett Finch HB, FE 2009 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Parramatta Eels
116 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Luke Kelly FE,HB 2009 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
117 Flag of New Zealand.svg Hep Cahill LK, SR 2009 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
118 Flag of Ireland.svg Ryan Tandy PR,SR 2009 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Wests Tigers
119 Flag of New Zealand.svg Jesse Bromwich PR 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
120 Flag of Ireland.svg Rory Kostjasyn HK,LK 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
121 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Todd Lowrie SR,LK 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Newcastle Knights
122 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Luke MacDougall WG 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Newcastle Knights
123 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Bryan Norrie PR 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cronulla Sharks
124 Flag of New Zealand.svg Matt Duffie WG 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
125 Flag of England.svg Gareth Widdop FE,FB 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
126 Flag of New Zealand.svg Chase Stanley CE 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg St George Illawarra Dragons
127 Flag of Vanuatu.svg Justin O'Neill CE 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
128 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Robbie Rochow SR 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
129 Flag of Tonga.svg Sione Kite PR 2010 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Canterbury Bulldogs
Flag of New Zealand.svg Louis Fanene CE Yet to Debut Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
Flag of New Zealand.svg Slade Griffen HK Yet to Debut Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Andrew Brown HB, FE Yet to Debut Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
Flag of France.svg Dane Chisholm FE, CE Yet to Debut Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
Flag of the Cook Islands.svg Fred Makimare PR Yet to Debut Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
Flag of Samoa.svg Kirisome Auva'a CE Yet to Debut Flag of Australia (converted).svg Melbourne Storm
Flag of Tonga.svg Atelea Vea SR Yet to Debut Flag of Australia (converted).svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Player movements

Representative honours

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2010.

Player 2010 All Stars match 2010 ANZAC Test City vs Country Origin State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 2010 Four Nations Other Internationals
Adam Blair NRL All Stars New Zealand————New Zealand—
Cooper Cronk —Australia—QueenslandQueenslandQueenslandAustralia—
Brett Finch NRL All Stars———————
Ryan Hoffman ——City—————
Greg Inglis —Australia—QueenslandQueenslandQueensland——
Willie Isa ———————Samoa
Sika Manu —New Zealand————New Zealand—
Justin O'Neill ———————Junior Kangaroos
Kevin Proctor ——————— Māori
Billy Slater —Australia—QueenslandQueenslandQueenslandAustralia—
Cameron Smith NRL All StarsAustralia——QueenslandQueenslandAustralia—
Brett White ——CountryNew South WalesNew South Wales—Australia—
Gareth Widdop ——————EnglandEngland [e]

Statistics

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2010 NRL season.

Name Appearances Tries Goals Field goals Points
Adam Blair 221004
Jesse Bromwich 70000
Hep Cahill 50000
Cooper Cronk 2130113
Matthew Duffie 1480032
Brett Finch 2131216
Ryan Hinchcliffe 2340016
Ryan Hoffman 1630012
Greg Inglis 20117058
Willie Isa 32008
Luke Kelly 40000
Sione Kite 20000
Rory Kostjasyn 61004
Jeff Lima 2021010
Todd Lowrie 221004
Luke MacDougall 1040016
Sika Manu 142008
Dane Nielsen 2180032
Bryan Norrie 212008
Justin O'Neill 990036
Kevin Proctor 220000
Anthony Quinn 970028
Robbie Rochow 10000
Billy Slater 22100040
Cameron Smith 202540116
Chase Stanley 71106
Ryan Tandy 101004
Aiden Tolman 191004
Brett White 141004
Gareth Widdop 313010
30 players used–88673489

Scorers

Most points in a game: 16 points

Most tries in a game: 3

Winning games

Highest score in a winning game: 58 points

Lowest score in a winning game: 14 points

Greatest winning margin: 46 points

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 4

Losing games

Highest score in a losing game: 18 points

Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points

Greatest losing margin: 32 points

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 3

Reserve grade

For the first time in club history, a reserve grade team played as Melbourne Storm, with the club entering a team into the New South Wales Cup competition. [47] Coached by former Canberra Raiders 2008 Toyota Cup winning coach, Tony Adam, Melbourne finished in seventh position on the ladder (out of 12 teams) qualifying for the finals series. They were eliminated by Balmain Ryde-Eastwood Tigers in the first week of the finals, defeated 48-18. [48] This was the only season that Melbourne fielded a reserve grade team under their own brand.

2010 New South Wales Cup [49]
PosTeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts
7 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 2511014627727-10022

NRL Under 20s

In the third season of the NRL's National Youth Championship, Dean Pay replaced Brad Arthur as coach, with Melbourne finishing the regular season in 13th place on the ladder.

Ladder

National Youth Competition season 2010
TeamPldWDLBPFPAPDPts
1 South Sydney colours.svg South Sydney Rabbitohs 2417072687567+12038
2 New Zealand colours.svg New Zealand Warriors (P)2416172731481+25037
3 Canterbury colours.svg Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2415272773596+17736
4 North Queensland colours.svg North Queensland Cowboys 2414372673540+13335
5 Eastern Suburbs colours.svg Sydney Roosters 2414192695588+10733
6 Canberra colours.svg Canberra Raiders 2414192764734+3033
7 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24130112568583-1530
8 Gold Coast Titans colours.svg Gold Coast Titans 24121112581663-8229
9 Wests Tigers colours.svg Wests Tigers 24120122620532+8828
10 Brisbane colours.svg Brisbane Broncos 24111122690635+5527
11 St. George colours.svg St. George Illawarra Dragons 24101132568543+2525
12 Newcastle colours.svg Newcastle Knights 2491142612732-12023
13 Melbourne colours.svg Melbourne Storm 2482142683782-9922
14 Cronulla colours.svg Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2481152492634-14221
15 Penrith Panthers square flag icon with 2020 colours.svg Penrith Panthers 2480162643838-19520
16 Parramatta colours.svg Parramatta Eels 2431202454786-33211

Statistics

Source: [50]

Scorers

Most points in a game: 18 points

  • Round 20 – Josh Jerome (1 try, 7 goals) vs Penrith Panthers
  • Round 23 – Josh Jerome (1 try, 7 goals) vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Most tries in a game: 3

  • Round 2 – Blake Leary vs Newcastle Knights
  • Round 2 – Justin O'Neill vs Newcastle Knights
  • Round 18 – Mahe Fonua vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Most points (season): 180

  • Josh Jerome (9 tries, 72 goals)

Most tries (season): 12

  • Eddie Fa'amausili
  • Blake Leary

S. G. Ball Cup

For the second consecutive season, Melbourne entered a junior representative team in the New South Wales Rugby League under-18s competition S. G. Ball Cup. Melbourne would play most of their home games at their training venue Princes Park in Carlton.

Coached by club high performance manager Kim Williams, the team would again make the finals, finishing the regular season in sixth position on the ladder with seven wins from nine matches. Melbourne would lose an elimination final against third-placed Parramatta 70–12 to end their season. [51]

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ Home games only
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Subsequently contracted by Northern Pride.
  5. ↑ Widdop made his international debut for England in a test match against France in June 2010.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Storm</span> Australian rugby league football club

Melbourne Storm is a rugby league club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blue jersey with gold and white trim.

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 Melbourne Storm salary cap breach was a major breach of the National Rugby League's strictly enforced salary cap by the Melbourne Storm club over a period of five years. The discovery of these breaches in 2010 by the NRL resulted in it stripping the Storm of all honours achieved as a team between 2006 and 2010. This included the 2007 and 2009 premierships, the 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premierships and the 2010 World Club Challenge title.

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 2012 Melbourne Storm season was the club's 15th NRL season. Coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith, they competed in and won the NRL's 2012 Telstra Premiership. The first nine weeks of the season were very successful, with the club winning all games for what was at the time their best start to a season. From round 10 to round 21 they won only three games and lost seven, including a five-game losing streak between rounds 16 and 21, their second worst ever. From round 22 onward they recovered their winning form and finished the regular season with five straight wins, finishing in second place. The Storm then went on to defeat South Sydney and Manly in the finals series before going on to face minor premiers, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2012 NRL Grand Final, winning 14–4 to claim the Premiership.

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavier Coates</span> Australia & PNG international rugby league footballer

Xavier Coates is a Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who plays as a winger for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).

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.

References

  1. ↑ "History Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Storm sweep away Quins". skysports.com. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Middleton, David. 2010 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines.
  4. ↑ Paxinos, Stathi (12 April 2010). "Greg Inglis avoids conviction over assault charge". smh.com.au. Nine Media. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Ritchie, Dean (15 July 2010). "News Ltd 'removes' Melbourne Storm independent directors". couriermail.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "Storm pip Bunnies". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  7. ↑ "Melbourne Storm offer $1 tickets for final game". Stuff.co.nz. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  8. ↑ "Feeder Team Strategy - A Bold Initiative". melbournestorm.com.au. 30 November 2010. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ↑ "Storm stripped of 2 NRL premierships". Television New Zealand . 22 April 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  10. ↑ AAP (24 April 2010). "Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy vows to stay". theaustralian.com.au. Australia: News Limited . Retrieved 24 April 2010.
  11. ↑ Jerga, Josh (23 April 2010). "Major sponsors walk away from Storm". AAP Sports News Wire. Sydney, New South Wales: Australian Associated Press Pty Limited.
  12. ↑ Johnson, Celia (23 April 2010). "ME Bank and HostPlus scrap Melbourne Storm sponsorship". B & T Weekly. Surrey Hills, New South Wales: The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
  13. ↑ "2010 NRL Pre-Season Fixtures". NRL.com. 8 February 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  14. ↑ Kennedy, Alan (15 February 2010). "STORM BLOWN AWAY IN TRIAL: Plenty to admire in the young Broncos team, winning 24-12". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Queensland: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 32.
  15. ↑ Stannard, Damien (14 February 2010). "Smith takes his first steps on Rocky road". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Queensland: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 114.
  16. ↑ Dillon, Robert (22 February 2010). "Naiqama's unsung sibling generates chorus of approval". Newcastle Herald. Newcastle, New South Wales: Fairfax Digital. p. 22.
  17. ↑ "Trial vs Melbourne Storm". marathonstadium.com.au. 22 February 2010. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  18. ↑ "Rugby League Tables – Melbourne" . Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  19. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 1". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 2". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 3". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 4". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 5". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  24. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 6". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  25. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 7". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  26. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 8". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  27. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 9". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  28. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 10". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  29. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 12". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  30. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 13". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  31. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 14". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 15". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  33. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 16". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  34. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 18". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  35. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 19". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  36. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 20". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  37. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 21". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  38. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 22". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  39. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 23". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  40. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 24". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  41. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 25". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  42. ↑ "NRL 2010 - Round 26". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  43. ↑ Stuart Honeysett and Brent Read (23 April 2010) Shocking end to the Melbourne Storm era The Australian
  44. 1 2 "Storm signs Stanley, Vea". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  45. ↑ "2010 Melbourne Point Scorers". afltables.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  46. ↑ "Melbourne Storm – NRL 2010". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  47. ↑ "Storm to enter Melbourne-based team in 2010 NSW Cup". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  48. ↑ "NSW Cup Draw - 2010". nswrl.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 October 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  49. ↑ "NSW Cup 2010 Ladder". nswrl.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  50. ↑ "2010 Melbourne Storm NYC". 18thman.com. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  51. ↑ "SG Ball 2010 draw and results" . Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  52. ↑ "NRL Honour Board". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  53. ↑ "Hinchcliffe named Storm's 2010 Player of the Year". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
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