2025 Melbourne Storm season

2025 Melbourne Storm season
Team information
CEO	Justin Rodski
Coach	Craig Bellamy
Captain	Harry Grant
Stadium	AAMI Park – 30,050
←  2024 List of seasons 2026  →

The 2025 Melbourne Storm season is the 28th in the club's history, competing in the 2025 NRL season. The team is coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for a 23rd consecutive season. Harry Grant continues as club captain for a second season.

Season summary

• Preseason – Joining the club on train and trial contracts ahead of the season were players from the Storm academy (Coby Williamson, Mitch Jennings); Sunshine Coast Falcons (Josh Billing, Cooper-Page Wilson); Brisbane Tigers (Vaka Sikahele, Setu Tu); and North Sydney Bears (Nathaniel Roache, Morgan Harper, Ben Talty) ^[1]
• 9 February – Harry Grant was reappointed captain, with Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster appointed as vice-captains. The club named a seven-man leadership group, with a number of other players named to an emerging leader group. ^[2]
• 11 February – It was reported that former captain Christian Welch could be contemplating medical retirement after suffering a concussion during the club's preseason training camp. Welch had been given time away from the club to recover and was absent from a number of team activities. ^[3]
• 12 February – Christian Welch announced his retirement from rugby league effective immediately. Welch retired on medical grounds due to a debilitating back injury. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Fixtures

Pre-season Challenge

Main article: 2025 NRL Pre-season Challenge

Source: ^[7]

Date	Rd	Opponent	Venue	Result	Mel.	Opp.	Tries	Goals	Field goals	Ref
15 February	Trial	New Zealand Warriors	FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton	Lost	10	36	K Bradley, B Talty	E Morris 1/1, K Russell-Smith 0/1		[8]
23 February	Trial	North Queensland Cowboys	Casey Fields, Melbourne

Regular season

Result by round

Round	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
Ground	H	–	H	A	A	H	A	H	N	H	A	–	A	H	–	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A
Result
Position
Points

Source: National Rugby League
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Source: ^[9]

• ( g.p. ) – Golden Point extra time
• (pen) – Penalty try

Date	Rd	Opponent	H/A	Venue	Result	Mel.	Opp.	Tries	Goals	Field goals	Ref
9 March	1	Parramatta Eels	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
16 March	2	Bye
20 March	3	Penrith Panthers	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
25 March	4	St. George Illawarra Dragons	Away	Netstrata Jubille Stadium, Sydney
6 April	5 [i]	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Away	4 Pines Park, Sydney
13 April	6	New Zealand Warriors	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
18 April	7	Dolphins	Away	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
25 April	8 [ii]	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
4 May	9 [iii]	Canberra Raiders	Home	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
11 May	10 [iv]	Wests Tigers	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
17 May	11	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Away	Sharks Stadium, Sydney
24 May	12	Bye
31 May	13	Gold Coast Titans	Away	Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
6 June	14	North Queensland Cowboys	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
14 June	15	Bye
21 June	16	South Sydney Rabbitohs	Away	Accor Stadium, Sydney
29 June	17	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
5 July	18	North Queensland Cowboys	Away	Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
12 July	19	Newcastle Knights	Away	McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
19 July	20	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
24 July	21	Sydney Roosters	Away	Allianz Stadium, Sydney
31 July	22	Parramatta Eels	Away	CommBank Stadium, Sydney
7 August	23 [v]	Brisbane Broncos	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
14 August	24 [vi]	Penrith Panthers	Away	CommBank Stadium, Sydney
22 August	25	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
29 August	26	Sydney Roosters	Home	AAMI Park, Melbourne
4 September	27	Brisbane Broncos	Away	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Fixture notes:

1. Multicultural Round
2. ANZAC Round
3. Magic Round
4. Women in League Round
5. Indigenous Round
6. Indigenous Round

Ladder

Main article: 2025 NRL season

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	B	PF	PA	PD	Pts	Qualification
1	Brisbane Broncos	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Advance to finals series
2	Canberra Raiders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	Dolphins	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Gold Coast Titans	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	Manly Warringah Sea Eagles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Melbourne Storm	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	Newcastle Knights	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	New Zealand Warriors	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	North Queensland Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	Parramatta Eels	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	Penrith Panthers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	South Sydney Rabbitohs	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15	St. George Illawarra Dragons	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	Sydney Roosters	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	Wests Tigers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Source: National Rugby League

Coaching staff

• Craig Bellamy – Head Coach ^[10]
• Marc Brentnall – Assistant Coach
• Aaron Bellamy – Assistant Coach
• Ryan Hinchcliffe – Assistant Coach
• Todd Lowrie – Development Coach ^{[11] [12]}

2025 squad

List current as of 17 January 2025 ^[13]

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm players

Cap	Nat.	Player name	Position	First Storm game	Previous First Grade RL club [a]
160		Cameron Munster	FE, FB	2014	Melbourne Storm
166		Nelson Asofa-Solomona	SR, PR	2015	Melbourne Storm
181		Tui Kamikamica	SR, PR	2017	Melbourne Storm
184		Jahrome Hughes	FE, FB	2017	North Queensland Cowboys
188		Harry Grant	HK	2018	Melbourne Storm
193		Marion Seve	WG	2019	Melbourne Storm
194		Ryan Papenhuyzen	FB	2019	Melbourne Storm
212		Trent Loiero	SR	2021	Melbourne Storm
213		Dean Ieremia	WG	2021	Melbourne Storm
217		Xavier Coates	WG	2022	Brisbane Broncos
218		Nick Meaney	FB	2022	Canterbury Bulldogs
219		Josh King	PR	2022	Newcastle Knights
220		Tyran Wishart	FE, HK	2022	Melbourne Storm
221		Alec MacDonald	LK	2022	Melbourne Storm
222		Grant Anderson	CE	2022	Melbourne Storm
225		William Warbrick	CE, WG	2023	Melbourne Storm
226		Eliesa Katoa	SR	2023	New Zealand Warriors
227		Bronson Garlick	LK, SR	2023	Melbourne Storm
228		Kane Bradley	WG, CE	2023	North Queensland Cowboys
229		Jonah Pezet	HB	2023	Melbourne Storm
231		Sualauvi Fa'alogo	FB, WG	2023	Melbourne Storm
232		Jack Howarth	SR	2023	Melbourne Storm
233		Joe Chan	SR	2023	Catalans Dragons
234		Shawn Blore	SR	2024	Wests Tigers
235		Lazarus Vaalepu	PR	2024	Melbourne Storm
236		Keagan Russell-Smith	FE, HB	2024	Melbourne Storm
237		Ativalu Lisati	PR	2024	Melbourne Storm
–		Angus Hinchey	SR	Yet to debut	Melbourne Storm
–		Stanley Huen	FE	Yet to debut	Melbourne Storm
–		Moses Leo	WG	Yet to debut	Melbourne Storm
–		Gabriel Satrick	HK	Yet to debut	Melbourne Storm
–		Stefano Utoikamanu	PR	Yet to debut	Wests Tigers
–		Coby Williamson	CE	Yet to debut	Melbourne Storm

Player movements

Source: ^{[14] [15]}

Losses Ammaron Gudgeon to St. George Illawarra Dragons [16] Chris Lewis to Retired [b] Tepai Moeroa to TBC Tristan Powell to Brisbane Broncos [18] Young Tonumaipea to Retired [19] Christian Welch to Retired [4] [5] [6]

Gains Stefano Utoikamanu from Wests Tigers [20] [21] [22] Moses Leo from New Zealand rugby sevens [23] [24]

Representative honours

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm representatives

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2025.

• (C) = Captain
• (vc) = Vice-captain

Player	NRL All Star match	State of Origin 1	State of Origin 2	State of Origin 3	Internationals/Pacific Championships
Will Warbrick [25]	Māori	—	—	—	—

Jerseys

In November 2023, Melbourne Storm announced a new sponsorship and apparel partnership agreement with Irish sportswear company O'Neills. ^[26]

Home

As part of the NRL's two year jersey cycle, the 2025 home jersey is the same as the 2024 version originally revealed in November 2023. ^[27] The jersey is navy blue with a purple yoke and sleeves. There are bright yellow lightning bolt designs on the side panels, and a revised Big V logo at the top of the rear of the jersey as a continuation of the Our Home, Victoria acknowledgment which began during the 2020 season to honour Storm's home state. This jersey will be worn with navy blue shorts and socks.

Away

As with the home jersey, the away jersey is the same as what was worn during the 2024 season. It is worn when the home jersey creates a clash with the opposition, and is a similar design to the home jersey, with white replacing the navy blue base colour. This jersey is worn with purple shorts, with white socks.

Junior Representatives

The club entered teams in the 2025 New South Wales Rugby League junior representative competitions with the following coaching staff:

• Jersey Flegg Cup (Under-21s): Mark Russell (coach), Nate Myles (assistant)
• S.G. Ball Cup (Under-19s): Matt Duffie (coach), Justin O'Neill (assistant)
• Harold Matthews Cup (Under-17s): Tony Adam (coach)

The club's academy program had Tim Auremi as Pathways Operations Manager and Dean Benton as Pathways Performance Manager. ^[19]

Notes

1. Previous First Grade RL club: 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
2. Lewis took up a coaching role at the Canberra Raiders. ^[17]

References

1. Read, Brent; Meyn, Travis; Carayannis, Michael (25 November 2024). "Every NRL club's train and trial players heading in to the 2025 pre-season". Code Sports. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
2. "Storm confirm 2025 leadership group". melbournestorm.com.au. 9 February 2025. Archived from the original on 10 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
3. Hooper, James (11 February 2025). "Christian Welch's NRL future in doubt after latest blow as Storm consider $600k move". foxsports.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
4. "Welch announces immediate retirement". melbournestorm.com.au. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
5. Talintyre, Ben (12 February 2025). "Storm star Christian Welch announces retirement as secret debilitating back injury revealed". news.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
6. Brunsdon, Simon (12 February 2025). "Former Origin star Christian Welch retires on eve of NRL season after mystery Storm team photo absence". Nine's Wide World of Sport. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
7. "NRL 2025 Melbourne Storm Pre-season Challenge Draw" . Retrieved 21 November 2024.
8. "Witzer Pre-Season Challenge - Round 2". NRL.com. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
9. "NRL 2025 Melbourne Storm Draw" . Retrieved 21 November 2024.
10. "Storm announce 2019 Football department structure". 5 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
11. "Lowrie to return to Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
12. Callinan, Josh (3 November 2022). "Former NRL player Todd Lowrie joins Melbourne Storm coaching staff for 2023". Australian Community Media. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
13. "2024 NRL Signings Tracker: Updated squads as new season begins". NRL.com. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
14. "NRL Signings Tracker". NRL.com. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
15. Naghten, Tom (20 November 2024). "Which players are leaving the Melbourne Storm? Full 2024 departures and arrivals lists". The Sporting News. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
16. Chalk, Ethan Lee (2 December 2024). "Dragons sign former Melbourne Storm fullback". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
17. Chalk, Ethan Lee (26 November 2024). "Retired Storm forward lands assistant coaching gig for rival NRL team". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
18. Chalk, Ethan Lee (5 November 2024). "Ex-Storm forward joins new NRL team". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
19. "More local players and staff join Storm Pathways". melbournestorm.com.au. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
20. "Stefano Utoikamanu leaves Wests Tigers for Melbourne Storm in three-year deal". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
21. "Utoikamanu joins Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
22. "Stefano Utoikamanu inks 3 year Storm deal". espn.com.au. 2 August 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
23. "Moses Leo to join Storm early". melbournestorm.com.au. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
24. Mayne, Joshua (19 November 2024). "Olympian confirmed to join Melbourne Storm early". The Sporting News. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
25. "2025 Harvey Norman All Stars teams". NRL.com. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
26. "Storm joins forces with O'Neills". melbournestorm.com.au. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
27. "Melbourne Storm unveils 2024 kit". melbournestorm.com.au. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.