2000 Melbourne Storm season
The 2000 Melbourne Storm season was the 3rd in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2000 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season in 6th place, being eliminated in the first week of the finals. [1]
| 2000 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 6th | |||
| Play-off result | Qualifying Final Loss | |||
| 2000 record | Wins: 14; Draws: 1; Losses: 11 | |||
| Points scored | For: 672; Against: 529 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | John Ribot | |||
| Coach | Chris Anderson | |||
| Captain |
| |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Matt Geyer (14) | |||
| Goals | Tasesa Lavea (81) | |||
| Points | Tasesa Lavea (190) | |||
| ||||
The Storm began 2000 with an easy win over St. Helens in the World Club Challenge was a great start for Melbourne, but overall the 2000 season was a disappointment. Major injuries to Marcus Bai and Robbie Ross, along with a lengthy suspension to Stephen Kearney, seriously disrupted the season.
It was made worse when the club was forced to negotiate its way through the trials and tribulations of twelve players coming off contract by the end of the year. Most distracting was the saga of Kimmorley as he travelled between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in search of his future (much to the bewilderment of the Victorian public who were not used to rugby league's mid-season mayhem).
With respectable home crowds averaging over 14,000 the Storm finished the 2000 season in 6th place, earning themselves a semi-final against the Knights in Newcastle. However, the defending premiers exited with a 30-16 loss on a wet and miserable afternoon. The season's undoubted highlight was the Grand Final rematch against the Dragons at the MCG where the Storm won by an incredible scoreline of 70-10.
Tony Martin (to London) and Brett Kimmorley (to Northern Eagles) were key losses for the club in the lead up to 2001 which were slightly off-set by the arrival of half-back Matt Orford and winger Junior Langi.[2]
Fixtures
Regular Season
Finals
| Round | Opponent | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying Final | Newcastle Knights | Loss | 16 | 30 | Aug 5 | Hunter Stadium |
Ladder
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
26 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 696 | 388 | +308 | 38 |
| 2 |  |
26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 601 | 520 | +81 | 32 |
| 3 |  |
26 | 15 | 1 | 10 | 686 | 532 | +154 | 31 |
| 4 |  |
26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 506 | 479 | +27 | 30 |
| 5 |  |
26 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 573 | 562 | +11 | 30 |
| 6 |  |
26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 672 | 529 | +143 | 29 |
| 7 |  |
26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 476 | 456 | +20 | 29 |
| 8 |  |
26 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 570 | 463 | +107 | 26 |
| 9 |  |
26 | 12 | 0 | 14 | 576 | 656 | -80 | 24 |
| 10 |  |
26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 519 | 642 | -123 | 24 |
| 11 |  |
26 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 469 | 553 | -84 | 21 |
| 12 |  |
26 | 9 | 0 | 17 | 476 | 628 | -152 | 18 |
| 13 |  |
26 | 8 | 2 | 16 | 426 | 662 | -236 | 18 |
| 14 |  |
26 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 436 | 612 | -176 | 12 |
Squad
List current as of 3 June 2017
(a) - 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.
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Awards and honours
Trophy Cabinet
Melbourne Storm Awards Night
- Melbourne Storm Player of the Year- Rodney Howe[4]
- Melbourne Storm Rookie of the Year- Tasesa Lavea
- Melbourne Storm Rookie of the Year: Matt King
- Melbourne Storm Clubman of the Year: Richard Swain
- Mick Moore Chairmans Award of the Year: Paul Marquet
Dally M Awards Night
- Dally M Halfback of the Year- Brett Kimmorley
- Dally M Rookie of the Year- Tasesa Lavea
Additional Awards
- World Club Challenge Medal- Brett Kimmorley
References
- http://stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/melbourne/melbourne2002_sc.html
- "Melbourne Storm History". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- http://stats.rleague.com/rl/teams/melbourne/melbourne_by.html#2000
- "NRL Honour Board". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.