David Kidwell is a professional rugby coach who is the defence coach at Los Pumas, the national rugby union team of Argentina, and a former rugby league player. As a player, he represented New Zealand as a member of the 2005 Tri-Nations and 2008 World Cup winning New Zealand teams. He primarily played as a second-row, though he started his career as a centre.
Stephen Peter Kearney is a New Zealand professional rugby league football coach who until 2020 was the head coach of the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and a former player.
Matthew Rua is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played in the National Rugby League for the Melbourne Storm, winning the 1999 NRL Premiership with them.
Richard Swain is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international hooker, he played club football in Australia for the Hunter Mariners, Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos and in England for Hull F.C.
Cameron Wayne Smith is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a hooker, spending his entire career with the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).
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.
Jeremy Smith is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. A New Zealand international representative, he played as a second-row and lock. He played for the Melbourne Storm, the St. George Illawarra Dragons, with whom he won the 2010 NRL Grand Final with, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Newcastle Knights, who he co-captained, in the NRL.
Rugby league football has been played and watched by people in the Australian state of Victoria since the early 20th century. While for most of its history there the game's popularity has been marginal due to the dominance of Australian rules football in Victoria, rugby league's popularity has rapidly increased in recent years in the state's capital of Melbourne, due mainly to the introduction of a professional Melbourne-based team in the national competition.
Kevin Proctor is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for Wakefield Trinity in the Super League, and the New Zealand Māori and New Zealand at international level.
Tawera Nuieia Nikau is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative forward, he played club football at a number of different clubs in New Zealand, England and Australia during his career, including the Melbourne Storm's victory in the 1999 NRL season Grand Final.
Matthew David Duffie is a New Zealand professional rugby footballer who plays rugby union for the Blues in Super Rugby. He previously played rugby league with the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League and was a part of their under-20s Premiership winning team in 2009, scoring 25 tries. On 1 May 2011, he was selected for the New Zealand national rugby league team for the 2011 ANZAC Test. In October 2017, Duffie was named in the All Blacks for their end-of-year tour, becoming a dual-code rugby international.
Jesse Bromwich is an Australia-based New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays and captains as a prop for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League and New Zealand at international level.
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.
Michael Russo, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s for Melbourne Storm.
Kenneath Bromwich is an Australia-based New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League, and New Zealand at international level.
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.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL and New Zealand at international level.
Justin Olam is a Papua New Guinean professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL), and Papua New Guinea at international level.
Eliesa Katoa is a Tongan professional rugby league footballer who plays as a second-row forward for the Melbourne Storm in the NRL.
The Michael Moore Trophy is a rugby league trophy usually contested biannually during the National Rugby League season, in matches between the Melbourne Storm and the New Zealand Warriors. The Michael Moore Trophy was introduced in 2000 following the death of Melbourne Storm's inaugural football manager, Michael Moore, on 6 February 2000 in Auckland, New Zealand.
