2024 Melbourne Storm season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NRL Rank1st (Minor Premiers)
Play-off resultRunners-Up
2024 recordWins: 19; losses: 5
Points scoredFor: 692; against: 449
| 2024 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 1st (Minor Premiers) | |||
| Play-off result | Runners-Up | |||
| 2024 record | Wins: 19; losses: 5 | |||
| Points scored | For: 692; against: 449 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Justin Rodski | |||
| Coach | Craig Bellamy | |||
| Captain |
| |||
| Stadium | AAMI Park – 30,050 | |||
| Avg. attendance | 19,849[a] | |||
| High attendance | 26,106 (Round 25)[b] | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Will Warbrick (15) | |||
| Goals | Nick Meaney (106) | |||
| Points | Nick Meaney (232) | |||
| ||||
The 2024 Melbourne Storm season was the 27th in the club's history, competing in the 2024 NRL season. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for a 22nd consecutive season. Melbourne Storm appointed a new captain for the season, as Harry Grant replaced Christian Welch.[1]
Melbourne qualified for an 11th NRL Grand Final, after ending the regular season as minor premiers to claim the J. J. Giltinan Shield.
In the decider, reigning champions Penrith defeated Melbourne 14–6 to claim their fourth consecutive premiership title.
Milestone games
- 12 January – Following much speculation, 2020 premiership player Justin Olam was released to join the Wests Tigers, with Shawn Blore joining the club. Blore had previously signed to join Melbourne in 2025.[2]
- 7 February – The club announced a revamped leadership group, with Harry Grant replacing Christian Welch as club captain. Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster were appointed vice-captains, with Josh King, Ryan Papenhuyzen, and Tui Kamikamica the other members of the leadership group.[1][3][4]
- 29 February – Victorian-raised fullback Sualauvi Fa'alogo signs a contract extension that will keep him in Melbourne until the end of the 2028 NRL season. The 20-year-old Fa'alogo was also promoted to the club's top-30 roster for this season as a result of the new contract.[5][6][7]
- Round 1 – Missing Cameron Munster and Nelson Asofa-Solomona through injury, Melbourne hold reigning premiers Penrith Panthers scoreless to win 8–0 at AAMI Park. The victory was the club's 22nd consecutive round 1 victory, and ended a three-match losing streak against the Panthers.[8][9]
- Round 2 – With seconds remaining, Xavier Coates scores a remarkable try for Melbourne to steal a 30–26 win against the New Zealand Warriors to retain the Michael Moore Trophy. Melbourne had trailed by eight points with three minutes remaining. It was the Storm's 15th consecutive win against the Warriors. Earlier Nick Meaney scored a try in his 50th match for the club, while Jahrome Hughes was later cited with a grade two contrary conduct charge for contact with the referee during play.[10][11][12][13][14] Hughes later entered in an early guilty plea to avoid a two-match suspension, taking a one-match suspension instead.[15][16]
- Round 5 – Following a bye, Cameron Munster makes his first appearance for the season, the first time the club's first choice spine players had featured together since round 18, 2022.[17] Melbourne coming from behind to defeat the Brisbane Broncos 34–32 in a high-scoring match at AAMI Park, extending the club's unbeaten run at the venue to 12 matches.[18]
- 9 April – Nick Meaney signs a new contract extension, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2026 season.[19][20]
- Round 6 – With five minutes remaining, Shawn Blore scored his first try for the club to snatch a 16–14 win against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. It was Melbourne's 13th consecutive win at AAMI Park, a streak stretching back to March 2023. Earlier in the match, Canterbury's Sam Hughes and Melbourne's Ryan Papenhuyzen were sent to the sin bin in separate incidents. Papenhuyzen's sin bin was his first in the NRL, and he was also cited by the NRL match review for the first time for an alleged hip-drop tackle on former Storm player Josh Addo-Carr.[21]
- 27 April – While playing for feeder club Brisbane Tigers, young playmaker Jonah Pezet suffered a season-ending knee injury.[22][23]
- Round 9 – Cameron Munster (200 games) and Christian Welch (150 games) celebrate milestones as Melbourne extend their winning streak to five straight wins in a tight 22–20 victory over the Gold Coast Titans. The Storm had scored four straight tries in the first half, but the loss of Ryan Papenhuyzen to a broken leg put them on the back foot during the second half, with a penalty goal the only points scored by Melbourne after the break.[24][25][26]
- 10 May – Coach Craig Bellamy confirms that he will remain with the club for the 2025 season, extending his tenure into a 23rd season.[27][28]
- Round 10 – Cronulla end Melbourne's five-match winning streak leaving AAMI Park victorious 25–18, the Storm's first defeat at AAMI Park in over a year. Storm captain Harry Grant is controversially sent to the sin bin late in the first half by referee Grant Atkins, and is later charged with a dangerous contact (grade 1) charge by the NRL's match review committee. Grant later pleads not guilty at the NRL Judiciary and is found not guilty.[29]
- Round 11 – The club wins their Magic Round match for the first time since 2021, with a stirring second half performance to defeat the Parramatta Eels 48–16. Harry Grant and Reimis Smith both score doubles. Cameron Munster leaves the field late in the first half after re-injuring the groin issue he first injured in preseason.[30][31][32] It is later announced that he suffered a tear in the adductor tendon and will miss at least 8–10 weeks.[33]
- 24 May – Aaron Pene is released by the club to take up an opportunity with the Leigh Leopards in the Super League.[34]
- Round 14 – After taking top spot on the NRL ladder during the club's second bye week, Melbourne retain the competition lead with a 36–24 win over the Knights at AAMI Park. Nick Meaney and Tyran Wishart both scoring two tries.[35]
- Round 15 – Melbourne retain the Michael Moore Trophy for the 16th straight match, beating the Warriors 38–24 at a sold out Go Media Stadium.
- Round 17 – Xavier Coates suffers a serious hamstring injury in his 50th appearance for the club, as Melbourne extended their winning streak to four matches with a 16–6 win over the Canberra Raiders at a wet AAMI Park. Jack Howarth scored his first career try before also leaving the field due to injury.[36][37][38]
- 3 July – Alec MacDonald and Grant Anderson sign contract extensions to stay with the club. Anderson signs on until the end of the 2025 season, with MacDonald extending until the end of the 2028 season.[39][40]
- 8 July – Melbourne Storm coaching coordinator Jason Ryles was announced as the Parramatta Eels coach, to start in 2025. Ryles will be the third former member of the Storm's coaching staff to coach that club.[41] On 17 July, Melbourne released Ryles from his role at the club in order for him to start at Parramatta before the end of the 2024 season.[42]
- Round 20 – Melbourne returned from a bye to win their sixth straight match, a dominant 24–8 win over the Sydney Roosters. Nick Meaney kicked his 200th goal for the club, while Lazarus Vaalepu made his NRL debut. Joe Chan was sin binned during the second half and later charged by the NRL Judiciary for a tackle on Victor Radley.[43][44][45]
- 31 July – Reimis Smith was granted an immediate release to join Catalans Dragons ahead of the closure of the Super League signings window. Smith departed after 68 matches for Melbourne since joining the club ahead of the 2021 season.[46][47][48]
- Round 22 – St. George-Illawarra Dragons end a 25-year hoodoo in Melbourne, snapping the Storm's seven match winning streak, by winning 18–16 at AAMI Park. It was the Dragons first win in Melbourne since 1999.[49]
- 8 August – Jahrome Hughes was voted the Rugby League Players Association player of the month for July, the second time he received the award after winning in April.[50]
- 14 August – Former Melbourne Storm players Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk, and Greg Inglis are all announced as inductees to the National Rugby League Hall of Fame.[51]
- Round 25 – Melbourne secured the J. J. Giltinan Shield as minor premiers following a dominant 48–6 win over the Dolphins. Melbourne celebrated with Nelson Asofa-Solomona making his 200th appearance for the club, the 10th player to reach that mark with the club. It was the sixth time Melbourne was recognised as the competition's minor premiers.[52]
- Round 26 – Without 11 regulars, Melbourne suffer their fifth defeat for the season, losing 38–30 against the North Queensland Cowboys. Three players made their NRL debuts for the Storm, with Ativalu Lisati scoring a try in his debut match. Fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen left the field with an injury, which would keep him out for the club's next match.[53]
- Round 27 – Jahrome Hughes scored a hat-trick of tries and set up two more tries with Melbourne ending the regular season with a 50–12 win over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. Will Warbrick also scored a hat-trick to end the regular season with 13 tries.[54][55]
- Qualifying final – Melbourne progress to a 16th preliminary final on the back of a dominant second half against the fourth-placed Cronulla Sharks at AAMI Park. Leading 14–10 at half time, the Storm shut-out the visitors on the back of a first career hat-trick for captain Harry Grant to win 37–10.[56][57][58][59]
- 20 September – The club announced the signing of New Zealand rugby sevens player Moses Leo to join the club ahead of the 2026 season on a two-year contract.[60][61]
- Preliminary final – Melbourne progress to the club's 11th appearance in the NRL Grand Final, defeating the Sydney Roosters 48–18 at AAMI Park. Jahrome Hughes scored a hat-trick, while Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron Munster both scored doubles.[62] The attendance of 29,213 was the third highest attendance for a rugby league match at the venue.[63] In the first minute of the match, Nelson Asofa-Solomona was sent to the sin bin by referee Grant Atkins for a tackle on Roosters forward Lindsay Collins. Asofa-Solomona was later charged by the NRL Judiciary with a grade three careless high tackle charge which carried a minimum four-match suspension.[64]
- 30 September – Nelson Asofa-Solomona's bid to downgrade his careless high tackle charge failed as the NRL Judiciary handed down a five-match suspension. Panel members Bob Lindner and Paul Simpkins were unswayed by the arguments of Melbourne's legal counsel Nick Ghabar.[65][66][67]
- 2 October – At the 2024 Dally M Awards, Storm halfback won the Dally M Medal as player of the year, polling 62 points to win by one point ahead of Roosters fullback James Tedesco. Hughes was also named the Dally M Halfback of the Year.[68] Joining Hughes in the Dally M Team of the Year were Harry Grant (hooker) and Eliesa Katoa (second row). Craig Bellamy was awarded his seventh Dally M Coach of the Year award.[69][70] For his final minute wonder try in round 2 against the New Zealand Warriors, winger Xavier Coates was awarded the Peter Frilingos Headline Moment and the Dally M Try of the Year.
- Grand Final – Despite scoring the first try of the match through captain Harry Grant midway through the first half, Melbourne struggled to overcome the defence of the Penrith Panthers in the Grand Final. The Panthers defending their title to win their fourth consecutive premiership, defeating Melbourne 14–6.[71][72][73] Penrith second-row forward Liam Martin was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal.[74] There was some controversy during the second half when Jack Howarth was denied a try by the officials,[75] and Cameron Munster was accused of biting the arm of Paul Alamoti.[76] Munster was put on report by referee Ashley Klein, but not charged.[77]
- 23 October – It was announced that club captain Harry Grant had taken up the option to extend his contract with the club until the end of the 2026 season.[78][79]
- 13 November – Long-time football manager Frank Ponissi re-signs with the club for a further five seasons after speculation he could leave the club for the Brisbane Broncos or switch codes to the Collingwood Football Club.[80][81][82]
- 15 November – Harry Grant was shortlisted for the 2024 IRL Golden Boot Award following his performances for Australia in representative matches.[83][84][85]
| Round | Player | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Trent Loiero | 50th match |
| Round 3 | Shawn Blore | Storm debut |
| Round 9 | Cameron Munster | 200th match |
| Christian Welch | 150th match | |
| Round 12 | Tui Kamikamica | 100th match |
| Round 20 | Lazarus Vaalepu | NRL debut |
| Round 21 | Melbourne Storm | 700th match |
| Round 22 | Shawn Blore | 50th match |
| Round 24 | Josh King | 150th match |
| Round 25 | Nelson Asofa-Solomona | 200th match |
| Tyran Wishart | 50th match | |
| Round 26 | Keagan Russell-Smith | NRL debut |
| Ativalu Lisati | ||
| Tristan Powell | ||
| Preliminary final | Harry Grant | 100th match |
| Grand Final | Jahrome Hughes | 150th match |
Fixtures
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Melbourne Storm |
24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 692 | 449 | +243 | 44 | Advance to finals series |
| 2 |  Penrith Panthers (P) |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 580 | 394 | +186 | 40 | |
| 3 |  Sydney Roosters |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 738 | 463 | +275 | 38 | |
| 4 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 653 | 431 | +222 | 38 | |
| 5 |  North Queensland Cowboys |
24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 657 | 568 | +89 | 36 | |
| 6 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 529 | 433 | +96 | 34 | |
| 7 |  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 634 | 521 | +113 | 33 | |
| 8 |  Newcastle Knights |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 470 | 510 | −40 | 30 | |
| 9 |  Canberra Raiders |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 474 | 601 | −127 | 30 | |
| 10 |  Dolphins |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 577 | 578 | −1 | 28 | |
| 11 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 508 | 634 | −126 | 28 | |
| 12 |  Brisbane Broncos |
24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 537 | 607 | −70 | 26 | |
| 13 |  New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 9 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 512 | 574 | −62 | 25 | |
| 14 |  Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 8 | 0 | 16 | 3 | 488 | 656 | −168 | 22 | |
| 15 |  Parramatta Eels |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 561 | 716 | −155 | 20 | |
| 16 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 494 | 682 | −188 | 20 | |
| 17 |  Wests Tigers |
24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 463 | 750 | −287 | 18 |
Coaching staff
- Craig Bellamy – Head Coach[113]
- Marc Brentnall – Assistant Coach
- Aaron Bellamy – Assistant Coach
- Ryan Hinchcliffe – Assistant Coach
- Todd Lowrie – Development Coach[114][115]
- Jason Ryles – Coaching Coordinator (until 17 July)
2024 squad
List current as of 2 October 2024[116]
Player movements
Source:[117]
|
Losses
|
Gains
|
Representative honours
This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2024.
- (C) = Captain
- (vc) = Vice-captain
| Player | NRL All Star match | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2[d] | State of Origin 3[e] | Internationals/Pacific Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawn Blore[133] | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | Samoa |
| Xavier Coates[134][131][135] | N/a | Queensland | Queensland | N/a | Australia |
| Harry Grant[134][131][132][135] | N/a | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | Australia (vc) |
| Jack Howarth[136] | Māori | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Jahrome Hughes[136][137] | Māori | N/a | N/a | N/a | |
| Tui Kamikamica[139] | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | Fiji (c) |
| Eliesa Katoa[140] | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | Tonga |
| Tepai Moeroa[141] | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | Cook Islands |
| Lazarus Vaalepu[133] | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | Samoa |
| Will Warbrick[137] | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | New Zealand |
| Tyran Wishart[142] | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | Prime Minister's XIII |
Statistics
This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2024 NRL season.
| Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Anderson | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Nelson Asofa-Solomona | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Shawn Blore | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Kane Bradley | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Chan | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Xavier Coates | 16 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| Sualauvi Fa'alogo | 14 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Bronson Garlick | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harry Grant | 23 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 50 |
| Jack Howarth | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Jahrome Hughes | 23 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Dean Ieremia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tui Kamikamica | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Eliesa Katoa | 25 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Josh King | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Chris Lewis | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ativalu Lisati | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Trent Loiero | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alec MacDonald | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Nick Meaney | 24 | 5 | 106 | 0 | 232 |
| Tepai Moeroa | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Munster | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Ryan Papenhuyzen | 20 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 53 |
| Jonah Pezet | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tristan Powell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keagan Russell-Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marion Seve | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reimis Smith | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Young Tonumaipea | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lazarus Vaalepu | 7[g] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| William Warbrick | 25 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
| Christian Welch | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyran Wishart | 26[h] | 12 | 14 | 0 | 76 |
| 33 players used | — | 135 | 121 | 0/1 | 783 |
Scorers
Most points in a game: 20
- Round 14 – Nick Meaney (2 tries, 6 goals) vs Newcastle Knights
Most tries in a game: 3
- Round 8 – Xavier Coates vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
- Round 27 – Will Warbrick vs Brisbane Broncos
- Round 27 – Jahrome Hughes vs Brisbane Broncos
- Qualifying final – Harry Grant vs Cronulla Sharks
- Preliminary final – Jahrome Hughes vs Sydney Roosters
Winning games
Highest score in a winning game: 54 points
- Round 8 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
Lowest score in a winning game: 8 points
- Round 1 vs Penrith Panthers
Greatest winning margin: 42 points
- Round 25 vs Dolphins
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 7
- Round 14 – Round 21
Losing games
Highest score in a losing game: 30 points
- Round 26 vs North Queensland Cowboys
Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points
- Grand Final vs Penrith Panthers
Greatest losing margin: 8 points
- Round 26 vs North Queensland Cowboys
- Grand Final vs Penrith Panthers
Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 1
Jerseys
         Home |
 Away |
In November 2023, Melbourne Storm announced a new sponsorship and apparel partnership agreement with Irish sportswear company O'Neills,[145] ending the club's relationship with British sportswear company Castore, before the end of the original five-year deal that had been announced in December 2020.
- Home
Revealed in November 2023,[146] the 2024 home 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
The away jersey, worn when the home jersey creates a clash with the opposition, is a similar design to the home jersey, with white replacing the navy blue base colour. This jersey will be worn with purple shorts, with white socks.
- ANZAC Day
Revealed in early April, Melbourne's jersey worn on ANZAC Day featured the team colours of navy blue and purple in a zig-zag pattern that paid homage to design elements at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. The design mimics the sporadic design of trenches dug by soldiers, as well as the Dazzle camouflage employed by Royal Australian Navy vessels in World War I and World War II.[147]
- Indigenous
Titled "Kerrbooonool" meaning connection in Woiwurrung language, the club's 2024 Indigenous jersey was designed by Letitia Smith, cousin of Reimis Smith. The design includes the hand and footprints of the club's Indigenous players, the Yarra river and a gathering circle. The inner lining of the collar pays tribute to Tony Mundine, former Australian boxer and grandfather of Reimis Smith. The jersey was worn in the NRL's Indigenous Round against Manly in May, and also against Canberra in June.[148]