2020 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
NRL Rank | 2nd | |||
Play-off result | Premiers | |||
2020 record | Wins: 16; draws: 0; losses: 4 | |||
Points scored | For: 534; against: 276 | |||
Team information | ||||
CEO | Dave Donaghy | |||
Coach | Craig Bellamy | |||
Captain |
| |||
Stadium | AAMI Park - 30,050 (2 games) Netstrata Jubilee Stadium - 20,500 (1 game) Suncorp Stadium - 52,500 (3 games) Sunshine Coast Stadium - 12, 000 (6 games) | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Josh Addo-Carr (16) | |||
Goals | Cameron Smith (70) | |||
Points | Cameron Smith (184) | |||
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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.
After the recommencement of the season, Melbourne Storm initially played home games at AAMI Park as usual; however, an escalation in coronavirus cases and a subsequent second lock-down in the state of Victoria forced the Storm to relocate in late June, firstly, to New South Wales and then to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. This has meant that the Storm have had to play home games at multiple venues interstate throughout the 2020 season including Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and Sunshine Coast Stadium on the Sunshine Coast.
The club had a successful season on the field and after twenty rounds, finishing the regular season in second spot and earning a "home" qualifying final against the Parramatta Eels which was played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The Storm won this final, progressing through to a week three preliminary final at the same venue, where they played and defeated the Canberra Raiders for a spot in the 2020 NRL Grand Final. The Storm defeated the Penrith Panthers in the 2020 NRL Grand Final to finish the season as Premiers.
Round | Player | Milestone |
---|---|---|
Round 4 | Brenko Lee | Storm debut |
Chris Lewis | NRL debut | |
Round 6 | Suliasi Vunivalu | 100th Game |
Round 7 | Paul Momirovski | Storm debut |
Round 8 | Brandon Smith | 50th Game |
Round 9 | Darryn Schonig | NRL debut |
Cameron Smith | 300th Victory | |
Round 11 | Albert Vete | 50th Game |
Jahrome Hughes | 50th Game | |
Round 15 | Cooper Johns | NRL debut |
Round 16 | Isaac Lumelume | NRL debut |
Round 17 | Josh Addo-Carr | 100th Game |
Round 19 | Melbourne Storm | 600th Game |
Round 20 | Aaron Booth | NRL debut |
Aaron Pene | NRL debut | |
Max King | 50th Game | |
Ricky Leutele | Storm debut | |
Preliminary Final | Dale Finucane | 200th Game |
Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 February | 2020 NRL Nines Pool Game | Manly Sea Eagles | HBF Park, Perth | Loss | 4 | 18 | [19] |
15 February | 2020 NRL Nines Pool Game | Brisbane Broncos | HBF Park, Perth | Loss | 8 | 12 | [19] |
22 February | Trial | New Zealand Warriors | Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North | Win | 18 | 16 | [20] |
29 February | Trial | North Queensland Cowboys | Casey Fields, Cranbourne | Win | 22 | 14 |
Source: [21]
Date | Round | Opponent | Home/away | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 March | 1 | Manly Sea Eagles | Away | Lottoland, Sydney | Won | 18 | 4 | S Vunivalu (2), T Eisenhuth | C Smith 3/4 | [22] | |
21 March | 2 | Cronulla Sharks | Away | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney | Won | 12 | 10 | T Kamikamica | C Smith 4/4 | [8] | |
30 May | 3 | Canberra Raiders | Home | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Lost | 6 | 22 | D Finucane | C Smith 1/1 | [23] | |
5 June | 4 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Home | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Won | 22 | 8 | R Papenhuyzen, S Vunivalu, J Addo-Carr, J Olam | C Smith 3/5 | [24] | |
13 June | 5 | Newcastle Knights | Away | Central Coast Stadium, Gosford | Won | 26 | 12 | R Jacks, S Vunivalu, T Faasuamaleaui, B Smith | C Smith 5/5 | [25] | |
19 June | 6 | Penrith Panthers | Away | Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 14 | 21 | F Kaufusi, B Lee | C Smith 3/3 | [26] | |
26 June | 7 | [ New Zealand Warriors | Home | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney | Won | 50 | 6 | S Vunivalu (3), P Momirovski (2), R Papenhuyzen (2), B Smith, J Addo-Carr | C Smith 7/9 | [27] | |
2 July | 8 | Sydney Roosters | Home | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Won (GP) | 27 | 25 | J Hughes (2), J Addo-Carr, P Momirovski | C Smith 5/5 | R Papenhuyzen 1/1 | [28] |
11 July | 9 | Canberra Raiders | Away | GIO Stadium, Canberra | Won | 20 | 14 | B Lee, J Addo-Carr, R Papenhuyzen | C Smith 4/4 | [29] | |
17 July | 10 | Gold Coast Titans | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Won | 42 | 6 | J Addo-Carr (2), N Asofa-Solomona (2), C Munster, B Lee, B Smith | C Smith 7/8 | [30] | |
24 July | 11 | Brisbane Broncos | Away | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Won | 46 | 8 | J Addo-Carr (2), J Hughes (2), T Faasuamaleaui (2), K Bromwich, R Papenhuyzen | C Smith 7/9 | [31] | |
2 August | 12 | Newcastle Knights | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Won | 26 | 16 | S Vunivalu, C Smith, R Papenhuyzen, T Faasuamaleaui | C Smith 2/2, C Munster 3/4 | [32] | |
8 August | 13 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Won | 41 | 10 | J Addo-Carr (2), K Bromwich (2), N Hynes, J Olam, S Vunivalu | C Munster 3/4, N Hynes 3/3 | C Munster 1/1 | [33] |
13 August | 14 | Sydney Roosters | Away | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Won | 24 | 6 | J Olam (2). J Hughes, F Kaufusi | R Papenhuyzen 4/5 | [34] | |
20 August | 15 | Parramatta Eels | Away | Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta | Lost | 0 | 14 | [35] | |||
30 August | 16 | Manly Sea Eagles | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Won | 30 | 6 | J Olam (3), J Addo-Carr (2), N Asofa-Solomona | C Smith 3/6 | [36] | |
4 September | 17 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Away | ANZ Stadium, Sydney | Won | 22 | 16 | R Papenhuyzen, J Olam, T Faasuamaleaui, C Munster | C Smith 3/4 | [37] | |
13 September | 18 | North Queensland Cowboys | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Won | 36 | 20 | C Munster (2), N Asofa-Solomona, T Faasuamaleaui, J Addo-Carr | C Smith 6/6 | [38] | |
19 September | 19 | Wests Tigers | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Won | 50 | 22 | S Vunivalu (2), J Addo-Carr (2), N Hynes, J Hughes, J Olam, C Smith, T Faasuamaleaui | C Smith 7/9 | [39] | |
27 September | 20 | St George-Illawarra Dragons | Away | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 22 | 30 | P Momirovski, S Earl, C Lewis, I Lumelume, N Hynes | R Papenhuyzen 0/4, N Hynes 1/1 | [40] |
Source: [41]
Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field Goals | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 October | Week 1 - Qualifying Final | Parramatta Eels | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Won | 36 | 24 | R Papenhuyzen (2), S Vunivalu, J Addo-Carr, J Bromwich, B Lee | C Smith 6/6 | [42] | |
16 October | Week 3 - Preliminary Final | Canberra Raiders | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Won | 30 | 10 | J Addo-Carr, R Papenhuyzen, S Vunivalu, J Olam, D Finucane | C Smith 5/6 | [43] | |
25 October | Week 4 - Grand Final | Penrith Panthers | ANZ Stadium, Sydney | Won | 26 | 20 | J Olam, S Vunivalu, C Smith, R Papenhuyzen | C Smith 5/6 | [44] |
Source: [45]
This was the original fixture for the Melbourne Storm prior to the COVID-19 pandemic causing the season to be altered and rescheduled.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Penrith Panthers | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 537 | 238 | +299 | 37 |
2 | Melbourne Storm (P) | 20 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 534 | 276 | +258 | 32 |
3 | Parramatta Eels | 20 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 392 | 288 | +104 | 30 |
4 | Sydney Roosters | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 552 | 322 | +230 | 28 |
5 | Canberra Raiders | 20 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 445 | 317 | +128 | 28 |
6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 20 | 12 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 521 | 352 | +169 | 24 |
7 | Newcastle Knights | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 421 | 374 | +47 | 23 |
8 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 20 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 480 | 480 | 0 | 20 |
9 | Gold Coast Titans | 20 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 346 | 463 | −117 | 18 |
10 | New Zealand Warriors | 20 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 343 | 458 | −115 | 16 |
11 | Wests Tigers | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 440 | 505 | −65 | 14 |
12 | St. George Illawarra Dragons | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 378 | 452 | −74 | 14 |
13 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | 20 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 375 | 509 | −134 | 14 |
14 | North Queensland Cowboys | 20 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 368 | 520 | −152 | 10 |
15 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 282 | 504 | −222 | 6 |
16 | Brisbane Broncos | 20 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 268 | 624 | −356 | 6 |
List current as of 10 October 2020
2020 Premiership Team | Interchange | Coach | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Head coach
|
Source: [47]
Losses | Gains
|
This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 representative season was rescheduled by the NRL as follows:
Player | 2020 All Stars match | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Josh Addo-Carr | Indigenous All Stars | New South Wales | New South Wales | New South Wales |
Jahrome Hughes | Maori All Stars | — | — | — |
Jesse Bromwich | Maori All Stars | — | — | — |
Brandon Smith | Maori All Stars | — | — | — |
Kenny Bromwich | Maori All Stars | — | — | — |
Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | — | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
Felise Kaufusi | — | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
Cameron Munster | — | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland |
Christian Welch | — | Queensland | — | Queensland |
Dale Finucane | — | — | New South Wales | New South Wales |
Brenko Lee | — | — | — | Queensland |
This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2020 NRL season. The table is up to date as of end of the 2020 regular season, it does not include statistics from finals matches.
Statistics source: [50]
Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Josh Addo-Carr | 18 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
Nelson Asofa-Solomona | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Aaron Booth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jesse Bromwich | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kenny Bromwich | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Sandor Earl | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Tom Eisenhuth | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
Dale Finucane | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Jahrome Hughes | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
Nicho Hynes | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
Ryley Jacks | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Cooper Johns | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tui Kamikamica | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Felise Kaufusi | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Max King | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brenko Lee | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Ricky Leutele | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chris Lewis | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Isaac Lumelume | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Paul Momirovski | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Cameron Munster | 15 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 29 |
Justin Olam | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
Ryan Papenhuyzen | 17 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 37 |
Aaron Pene | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Darryn Schonig | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Marion Seve | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brandon Smith | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Cameron Smith | 16 | 2 | 70 | 0 | 148 |
Albert Vete | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Suliasi Vunivalu | 14 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 44 |
Christian Welch | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
32 players used | — | 91 | 84 | 2 | 534 |
Scorers
Most points in a game: 18 points
Most tries in a game: 3
Winning games
Highest score in a winning game: 50 points
Lowest score in a winning game: 12 points
Greatest winning margin: 46 points
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 8
Losing games
Highest score in a losing game: 22 points
Lowest score in a losing game: 0 points
Greatest losing margin: 16 points
On 1 March 2020 at the Melbourne Storm family day the Storm unveiled their new jersey for 2020 which included a new major sponsor - Redzed Lending Solutions. The new jersey is predominantly navy blue and purple with fading chevrons down the front and white lightning bolts on the sides. [51] Throughout the season the club also wore some commemorative jerseys namely for Indigenous round also an Anzac jersey was created, but because of the suspension of the season it was not worn until June. Also as of 13 June 2020 the Club added an embroidered V with the words "Our home Victoria" to both home and away jerseys to show support for their home state during the COVID pandemic. [52] There was a change in sponsorship from Round 18 onwards with Rockcote replacing TigerAir on the front of the jersey and fuelyourlife.com.au replacing Tigerair on the back, this was due the brand being retired in Australia by Virgin Australia. Both new sponsors are also sponsor of the Sunshine Coast Lightning as well. [53] [54]
RD1 | RD2 | RD3 | RD4 | RD5 | RD6 | RD7 | RD8 | RD9 | RD10 | RD11 | RD12 | RD13 | RD14 | RD15 | RD16 | RD17 | RD18 | RD19 | RD20 | QF | SF | PF | GF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clash | Home | Home | Home | Clash | Clash | ANZAC# | Home | Home | Home | Clash | Indigenous^ | Home | Clash | Clash | Home | Clash | Home | Home | Home | Home | — | Home | Clash |
#The jersey designed for ANZAC Day commemorations was eventually worn against the Warriors in the Michael Moore Trophy game.
^ Designed by Ky-ya Nicholson Ward. [55]
Trophy Cabinet
Melbourne Storm Awards NightHeld at Novotel, Sunshine Coast on Monday 27 October. [59]
| Dally M Awards NightHeld via virtual ceremony broadcast by Fox Sports.
Rugby League Players’ Association Awards Night
Additional awards
|
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 Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Auckland Warriors, and are affectionally known as the Wahs. The Warriors are coached by Andrew Webster and captained by Tohu Harris. The Warriors are based at Mount Smart Stadium in the Auckland suburb of Penrose.
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 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 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 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 2013 Melbourne Storm season was the 16th in the club's history. They competed in the 2013 NRL season. They were coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith. They had previously won the 2012 NRL Grand Final therefore started the season as reigning premiers.
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 2019 Melbourne Storm season was the 22nd in the club's history, competing in the 2019 NRL season. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, who coached the club for his 17th consecutive season. Melbourne Storm were captained by Cameron Smith, who had been the sole captain for the team since 2008. On 13 July 2019 Smith became the first NRL player to play 400 NRL games. On 31 August 2019 the Storm defeated the Manly Sea Eagles to win their fourth J. J. Giltinan Shield as the minor premiers.
The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.
The 2020 NRL season was the 113th of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League.
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 2021 NRL season was the 114th of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League.
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.