The Melbourne Storm are the most remarkable well-oiled machine in rugby league.
The Storm are just 80 minutes away from back-to-back NRL grand final appearances. They have dominated the competition this season, winning the minor premiership and losing just four games out of 24.
Since their launch in 1998 they have only missed the finals three times in 20 seasons. In that period Melbourne has won six minor premierships and finished second once. They have reached seven grand finals, winning four of them, though two have been stripped because of salary cap infringements. Their consistency, their ability to rebuild and compete each year is simply amazing.
Launched in an Aussie Rules stronghold, the Storm initially survived because of News Limited’s largesse. Millions were poured into the expansion club to keep them going. But money does not guarantee success in rugby league. Melbourne have had to recruit better than anyone else because they had no local juniors, no development system to tap into. Their culture has had to better than anyone else’s because they are an NRL outpost, far from the rest of the competition.
Driving the Storm forward since 2003 has been Craig Bellamy. The coach has a phenomenal record in the Victorian capital with a win rate of 68%. He has been the key figure in the rise and continued success of the club. Right there with him has been the ‘Big Three’ – Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk. The three Queenslanders have been the heart of soul of the Storm for 15 years.
Perhaps most impressive has been the way the club have stayed at the top for more than a decade. The 2007 Melbourne side that played and beat Manly in the grand final that year included Slater, Israel Folau, Greg Inglis, Ryan Hoffman, Dallas Johnson, Matt Geyer, Cameron Smith, Cronk, Jeremy Smith and Michael Crocker. Of that team only hooker Smith, Slater and Cronk are still there. They are the constant, along with Bellamy, that have kept the Storm purring.
Melbourne have been able to adjust losing world-class talent like Folau and Inglis, not to mention internationals like Hoffman, Johnson, Smith and Crocker because of salary cap pressure, and keep being successful. Time after time they are unearthing new talent. This year it has been Brodie Croft, Ryley Jacks, Curits Scott and Brandon Smith. Last year it was Suliasi Vunivalu, In 2015 it was Nelson Asofa-Solomona, Cameron Munster and Felise Kaufusi. The list goes on.
They’ve had to survive scandal, controversy and change too. The salary cap drama hit hard and change came in 2013 with News Limited relinquishing its ownership. They’ve hit with allegations of wrestling and dirty play. But despite all that the Storm have not just survived but thrived.
Ryan Hinchcliffe knows the club better than most, after spending seven years and playing 177 games there. He points to their system, the work-ethic and focus on the team dynamic as the vital ingredients.
“One thing about them they never wrest on their laurels, they continue to strive to get better and better,” he tells The Sportsman.
“Their commitment to each other and the way they play is just phenomenal. I sit back now and watch them play and wonder how do I ever play in that team to be honest. That’s how I look at it. All those older blokes keep finding ways to get it done and pull blokes with them. Watching from the outside in now, it’s a real pleasure to watch.
“It’s a credit to their system down there. A lot of it’s to do with Craig, Frank Ponissi the football manager, their recruitment and the environment’s been created by Craig and the senior boys that are still there. It’s an unbelievable environment to be part of and they get the best out of you. The work extremely hard…every day in training there’s no shortcuts taken. It’s a good environment to be a part of. When players get down there they strive for the right attitude and that’s what you’re seeing at the moment.”
The fact the club has stayed at the top while their challengers over the past 11 years – the Broncos, Sea Eagles, Dragons, Roosters, Bulldogs, Rabbitohs and Cowboys – have all ebbed and flowed, in peaks and troughs, demands respect.
The Melbourne Storm will take some stopping, not only in the next few weeks, but in the years to come.
