2015 Melbourne Storm season
Rugby league team season
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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.
NRL Rank4th
Play-off resultPreliminary Final Loss
2015 recordWins: 14; draws: 0; losses: 10
Points scoredFor: 467; against: 348
| 2015 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 4th | |||
| Play-off result | Preliminary Final Loss | |||
| 2015 record | Wins: 14; draws: 0; losses: 10 | |||
| Points scored | For: 467; against: 348 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Mark Evans Dave Donaghy | |||
| Coach | Craig Bellamy | |||
| Captain |
| |||
| Stadium | AAMI Park – 30,050 | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Marika Koroibete (16) | |||
| Goals | Cameron Smith (71) | |||
| Points | Cameron Smith (146) | |||
| ||||
With the youngest Storm side assembled under Craig Bellamy, the team finished with a 14–10 record for the second consecutive season, securing a top-four spot on the final day of the season. In Week One of the finals, they played the minor premiers, the Sydney Roosters, who entered the match following a 12-game winning streak. The Storm won by two points but did not reach the Grand Final, losing to the Cowboys at home two weeks later. The Storm held their opponents to single-digit scores on six occasions during the season, including five matches against teams that finished in the top eight. Following Billy Slater's shoulder surgery in Round 10, Cameron Munster played at fullback for the remainder of the season. Cameron Smith and Craig Bellamy reached the 300-game milestone for the club as player and coach, respectively. Mark Evans left his position as CEO, and Dave Donaghy assumed the role.[1]
Season summary
- Auckland Nines – The club competed in the second annual Auckland Nines competition over 31 January – 1 February. The Storm lost two of their three pool games thus not progressing to the final stage. Will Chambers captained the squad, with the team wearing sleeveless jerseys.
- February 7 – The Storm play Canberra in a preseason trial and go down 32–20 in very hot conditions.
- February 13 – Will Chambers and Jesse Bromwich represent Melbourne in the Annual All Star game.
- February 21 – The Storm complete their trial match period with a come from behind 32–30 win over Canterbury Bulldogs. The Storm added 24 points in the second half.
- Round 1 – The Storm commence the 2015 season with a win over St George Illawarra. Dale Finucane, Felise Kaufusi and Blake Green all make their playing debuts for the Storm. Ryan Hinchcliffe plays his 150th Game.
- Round 2 – Tom Learoyd-Lahrs makes his playing debut for the Storm.
- Round 4 – The Storm suffer their second loss of the season, during Golden Point extra time. The Storm lost the game after the Cowboys leveled the scores after being 17-10 down with 5 minutes remaining in normal time.
- Round 7 – A last-minute field goal from Cooper Cronk secures the club a 17–16 win over the Sydney Roosters in a high quality match played in heavy rain at AAMI Park.[2][3]
- Round 8 – Nelson Asofa-Solomona makes his playing debut after being elevated from the NYC team.
- 1 May – Representative weekend – 15 Storm Players are chosen to represent the various teams over representative weekend[4]
- Round 9 – Christian Welch makes his playing debut after being elevated from the NYC team. Billy Slater scores two tries on his return game following a shoulder injury. The tries take Slater's career total to 172, surpassing Ken Irvine's Australian record for most tries with a single first grade club. Melbourne equal their biggest win of the season thus far defeating the Eels by 18 points.
- Round 12 – The Storm suffer their worst loss of the season thus far losing to the Roosters by 22 points. The storm failed to score a try in the match.
- Round 13 – The Storm bounced back from the Round 12 loss with their biggest win of the season so far with a 20 nil win over the Panthers. Richard Kennar also makes his playing debut.
- Round 14 – The storm suffer a narrow loss against the Eels playing without their State of Origin representatives. Hymel Hunt plays his first game for the Storm since transferring from the Titans.
- Round 18 – The Storm suffer their fourth consecutive loss in a 28–14 loss to the Warriors.
- Round 19 – Cameron Smith joined an elite group in NRL circles as he lined up for his 300th Melbourne Storm and NRL Game becoming only the 24th player to achieve this.[5] The game was also notable as it became the Storms biggest win for the season thus far (42 points) and also scored their highest total (52 points) thus far scoring 10 tries.
- Round 20 – The Storm will stage a home game in McLean Park in Napier New Zealand. Storm player Tohu Harris has designed the jersey for the game which takes in his New Zealand, Polynesian and Maori Heritage[6]
- Round 21 – Cameron Smith sets another record as he captained Melbourne Storm for the 200th time against Wests Tigers. Mahe Fonua also played his 50th game.
- Round 22 – Cameron Munster scores a Hat-trick of tries as the Storm beat Gold Coast by 22 points
- Round 23 – Kevin Proctor plays his 150th NRL Game in the Storm's big win over Cronulla Sharks.
- Rounds 25 and 26 – The Storm complete the regular season with two hard fought wins over Cowboys and Broncos. Both teams also finished the season in the Top 4. The two wins mean the Storm finished the season in the Top 4.
- Finals Week 1 – The Storm defeat the 1st placed Sydney Roosters in an upset 20–18 to secure a week off and a Home Preliminary Final in Week 3.
- Finals Week 3 – The Storm suffer defeat in their home Preliminary Final against the North Queensland Cowboys ending their 2015 season one game short of the Grand Final. The game was also notable as the attendance of 29,315 spectators was officially the highest attendance so far at AAMI Park for a Storm game.
Milestone games
| Round | Player | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Dale Finucane | Storm debut |
| Round 1 | Blake Green | Storm debut |
| Round 1 | Felise Kaufusi | NRL debut |
| Round 1 | Ryan Hinchcliffe | 150th Storm game |
| Round 2 | Tom Learoyd-Lahrs | Storm debut |
| Round 8 | Nelson Asofa-Solomona | NRL debut |
| Round 9 | Christian Welch | NRL debut |
| Round 13 | Richard Kennar | NRL debut |
| Round 14 | Hymel Hunt | Storm debut |
| Round 19 | Cameron Smith | 300th game |
| Round 21 | Mahe Fonua | 50th game |
| Round 23 | Kevin Proctor | 150th game |
Fixtures
Preseason
Source:[7]
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 January | Auckland Nines Pool Game |  North Queensland Cowboys | Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand | Loss | 8-17 | [8] |
| 31 January | Auckland Nines Pool Game |  Penrith Panthers | Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand | Win | 20-4 | [9] |
| 1 February | Auckland Nines Pool Game |  South Sydney Rabbitohs | Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand | Loss | 24-4 | [10] |
| 7 February | Trial 1 |  Canberra Raiders | E.W. Moore Oval, Griffith, New South Wales | Loss | 32-20 | [11] |
| 14 February | Trial 2 |  Eastern Suburbs Tigers | Gosch's Paddock, Melbourne | Win | 44-12 | [12] |
| 21 February | Trial 3 |  Canterbury Bulldogs | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 32-30 | [13] |
Regular season
Result by round
Matches
Source:[14]
- FG - Field Goal
- GP - Golden Point extra time
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals/Field Goals | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 March | 1 |  St George-Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | Win | 4-12 | Tonumaipea, Chambers | Smith 2/2 | [15] |
| 14 March | 2 |  Manly Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval, Manly | Loss | 24-22 | Green (2), Tonumaipea, Chambers | Smith 3/4 | [16] |
| 21 March | 3 |  Cronulla Sharks | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 36-18 | Harris (2), Cronk, Smith, Koroibete, Chambers | Smith 6/6 | [17] |
| 30 March | 4 | North Queensland Cowboys | 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville | Loss | 18-17 (GP) | Mann, Koroibete, Kaufusi | Smith 2/3, Cronk 1/2 (FG) | [18] |
| 6 April | 5 |  New Zealand Warriors | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 30-14 | Koroibete (2), Fonua, Glasby, Chambers | Smith 5/5 | [19] |
| 12 April | 6 | Canberra Raiders | GIO Stadium, Canberra | Win | 10-14 | Fonua, Munster | Smith 3/3 | [20] |
| 18 April | 7 |  Sydney Roosters | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 17-16 | Koroibete, Kaufusi, Chambers | Smith 2/3, Cronk 1/1 (FG) | [21] |
| 25 April | 8 | Manly Sea Eagles | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Loss | 10-12 | Koroibete, Cronk | Smith 1/2 | [22] |
| 10 May | 9 |  Parramatta Eels | Pirtek Stadium, Parramatta | Win | 10-28 | Slater (2), Koroibete, Chambers, Finucane | Smith 4/5 | [23] |
| 16 May | 10 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 16-12 | J Bromwich, Chambers | Smith 4/4 | [24] |
| 24 May | 11 | Bye | ||||||
| 1 June | 12 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 24-2 | - | Smith 1/1 | [25] |
| 6 June | 13 | Penrith Panthers | Sportingbet Stadium, Penrith | Win | 0-20 | Green (2), Munster | Smith 4/4 | [26] |
| 15 June | 14 | Parramatta Eels | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Loss | 22-26 | Harris, Hampton, Green, Hunt | Harris 3/4 | [27] |
| 21 June | 15 |  Brisbane Broncos | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Loss | 12-14 | Green (2) | Smith 2/2 | [28] |
| 29 June | 16 | Canterbury Bulldogs | Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney | Loss | 20-4 | Koroibete | Smith 0/1 | [29] |
| 6 July | 17 | Bye | ||||||
| 12 July | 18 | New Zealand Warriors | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland | Loss | 28-14 | K Bromwich (2), Koroibete | Smith 1/3 | [30] |
| 17 July | 19 | Penrith Panthers | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 52-10 | Cronk (2), Proctor (2), Koroibete (2), Harris, Green, Fonua, Kennar | Smith 6/10 | [31] |
| 25 July | 20 | St George Illawarra Dragons | McLean Park, Napier | Win | 22-4 | Asofa-Solomona, Koroibete, Proctor, Fonua | Smith 3/4 | [32] |
| 31 July | 21 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval, Balmain | Loss | 34-16 | Koroibete (2), J Bromwich | Smith 2/3 | [33] |
| 9 August | 22 |  Gold Coast Titans | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 36-14 | Munster (3), Duffle (2), Koroibete, Chambers | Smith 4/7 | [34] |
| 17 August | 23 | Cronulla Sharks | Remondis Stadium, Cronulla | Win | 2-30 | Duffie (2), J Bromwich, Finucane, Munster | Smith 5/5 | [35] |
| 24 August | 24 |  Newcastle Knights | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Loss | 6-20 | Munster | Smith 1/1 | [36] |
| 29 August | 25 | North Queensland Cowboys | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 14-6 | K Bromwich, Chambers | Smith 2/2 | [37] |
| 3 September | 26 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Win | 8-15 | Mann (2), Chambers | Smith 1/3, Cronk 1/1 (FG) | [38] |
Finals
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals/Field Goals | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 September | 1st Qualifying Final - Week 1 | Sydney Roosters | Allianz Stadium, Sydney | Win | 18-20 | Koroibete, Mann, Glasby | Smith 4/4 | [39] |
| 26 September | 1st Preliminary Final - Week 3 | North Queensland Cowboys | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Loss | 12-32 | Cronk, Harris | Smith 2/2 | [40] |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney Roosters |
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 591 | 300 | +291 | 40 |
| 2 | Brisbane Broncos |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 574 | 379 | +195 | 38 |
| 3 | North Queensland Cowboys (P) |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 587 | 454 | +133 | 38 |
| 4 |  Melbourne Storm |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 467 | 348 | +119 | 32 |
| 5 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 522 | 480 | +42 | 32 |
| 6 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 469 | 476 | −7 | 32 |
| 7 | South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 465 | 467 | −2 | 30 |
| 8 | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 435 | 408 | +27 | 28 |
| 9 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 458 | 492 | −34 | 26 |
| 10 | Canberra Raiders |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 577 | 569 | +8 | 24 |
| 11 |  Penrith Panthers |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 399 | 477 | −78 | 22 |
| 12 | Parramatta Eels |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 448 | 573 | −125 | 22 |
| 13 | New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 445 | 588 | −143 | 22 |
| 14 | Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 439 | 636 | −197 | 22 |
| 15 | Wests Tigers |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 487 | 562 | −75 | 20 |
| 16 | Newcastle Knights |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 458 | 612 | −154 | 20 |
2015 Coaches
- Craig Bellamy -Head Coach
- Justin Morgan - Assistant Coach
- Anthony Seibold - Assistant Coach
- Nathan Brown -Coaching Consultant
- Tony Ayoub -Head Physiotherapist
2015 Squad
As of 20 June 2015
Player movements
Source NRL.com:[41]
|
Losses
|
Gains
|
Representative honours
The following players played representative matches in 2015. (C) = Captain
| 2015 All Stars match | City Vs Country | Rugby League internationals ANZAC Test - AUS vs NZL Pacific Tests - FIJ vs PNG and SAM vs TGA | State Of Origin 1 | State Of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Kiwis Tour | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesse Bromwich | NRL All Stars | - | New Zealand | - | - | - | New Zealand |
| Will Chambers | Indigenous All Stars | - | Australia | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | - |
| Ryan Hinchcliffe | - | Country | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dale Finucane | - | Country | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cameron Smith | - | - | Australia (C) | Queensland (C) | Queensland (C) | Queensland (C) | - |
| Cooper Cronk | - | - | Australia | Queensland | - | Queensland | - |
| Kevin Proctor | - | - | New Zealand | - | - | - | New Zealand |
| Tohu Harris | - | - | New Zealand | - | - | - | New Zealand |
| Marika Koroibete | - | - | Fiji | - | - | - | - |
| Mahe Fonua | - | - | Tonga | - | - | - | - |
| Felise Kaufusi | - | - | Tonga | - | - | - | - |
| Billy Slater | - | - | - | Queensland | Queensland | - | - |
Statistics
Statistics Source:[42] Current as of the end of the 2015 NRL season.
| Name | App | T | G | FG | Pts | Goal% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Asofa-Solomona | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jesse Bromwich | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Kenny Bromwich | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Will Chambers | 25 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 | |
| Cooper Cronk | 23 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 23 | |
| Matt Duffie | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Dale Finucane | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Mahe Fonua | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Tim Glasby | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Blake Green | 26 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 | |
| Ben Hampton | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Tohu Harris | 26 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 75.00% (3/4) |
| Ryan Hinchcliffe | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hymel Hunt | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Felise Kaufusi | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Richard Kennar | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Marika Koroibete | 23 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 64 | |
| Tom Learoyd-Lahrs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Kurt Mann | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Jordan McLean | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Cameron Munster | 19 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| Kevin Proctor | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Billy Slater | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Cameron Smith | 25 | 1 | 71 | 0 | 146 | 78.89% (71/90) |
| Young Tonumaipea | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Christian Welch | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dayne Weston | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 27 Players used | 87 | 74 | 3 | 499 | 78.72% (74/94) |
Most Points in a Game: 16
- Cameron Smith (1 Try, 6 Goals) vs Cronulla Sharks (Round 3)
Most tries in a Game: 3
- Cameron Munster vs Gold Coast Titans (Round 22)
Highest score in a winning game: 52 points
- vs Penrith Panthers (Round 19)
Lowest score in a winning game: 12 points
- vs St George Illawarra Dragons (Round 1)
Greatest winning margin: 42 points
- vs Penrith Panthers (Round 19)
Highest score in a losing game: 22 points
- vs Manly Sea Eagles (Round 2)
- vs Parramatta Eels (Round 14)
Lowest score in a losing game: 2 points
- vs Sydney Roosters (Round 12)
Greatest losing margin: 22 points
- vs Sydney Roosters (Round 12)
Greatest number of Games won consecutively: 3
- Between Rounds 5 and 7
Greatest number of Games lost consecutively: 4
- Between Rounds 14 and 18
Jersey
In 2015 the Storm jerseys were manufactured by BLK and new jerseys were designed for 2015. The home Jersey was predominantly navy blue with Purple across the shoulders and a Silver strip running horizontally across the chest.[43] The Away Jersey Features a White design with purple hoops down the jersey.[44] The Storm also broke new ground for Rugby League featuring an AFL style sleeveless jersey for the Auckland Nines.[45]
Awards
Melbourne Storm Awards NightHeld at Docklands, Melbourne on Wednesday 7 October 2015.[46]
|
RLPA Awards Night
Additional Awards
|
Notes
- 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.
- 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.