2020 Melbourne Storm season
The 2020 Melbourne Storm season is the 23rd in the club's history and they are competing in the 2020 NRL season. The team is coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 18th consecutive season. Melbourne Storm are also captained by Cameron Smith, who has been the sole captain for the team since 2008—making this his 13th consecutive season. The season was suspended indefinitely on March 23 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic; however, on 28 April the NRL announced it would recommence on 28 May as a 20 Round competition with a revised fixture.
| 2020 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 2nd | |||
| 2020 record | Wins: 12; Draws: 0; Losses: 2 | |||
| Points scored | For: 374; Against: 168 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Dave Donaghy | |||
| Coach | Craig Bellamy | |||
| Captain |
| |||
| Stadium | AAMI Park - 30,050 (2 games) Netstrata Jubilee Stadium - 20,500 (1 game) Suncorp Stadium - 52,500 (1 game) Sunshine Coast Stadium - 12, 000 (6 games) | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Josh Addo-Carr (10) | |||
| Goals | Cameron Smith (51) | |||
| Points | Cameron Smith (106) | |||
| ||||
After the recommencement of the season, Melbourne Storm initially played home games at AAMI Park as usual; however, an escalation in coronavirus cases and a subsequent second lock-down in the state of Victoria forced the Storm to relocate in late June, firstly, to New South Wales and then to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. This has meant that the Storm have had to play home games at multiple venues interstate throughout the 2020 season including Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and Sunshine Coast Stadium on the Sunshine Coast.
Season summary
- Round 1 - The Storm continued their unbeaten run in Round 1 matches a record that stretches back to 2001 by defeating Manly at Brookvale Oval.
- Round 2 - The Melbourne Storm defeated Cronulla at an empty WIN Stadium. All NRL matches were played in empty stadiums for the first time in the league's history, in response to government restrictions on non-essential public gatherings of 500 or more people due to the coronavirus pandemic.[1]
- 23 March - Due to the escalating coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 NRL season was indefinitely suspended, for the first time in history.[2]
- 28 April - The NRL announce that the competition will resume on the 28th May and that it would be cut back a 20-round season, with the first two rounds scores and points remaining. The NRL will also release a revised fixture.[3]
- 4 May - The Storm announce that they will temporarily set up a training camp in Albury, New South Wales to prepare for the resumption of the NRL season. Restrictions on group gatherings mean't it could not happen in Victoria.[4]
- 7 May - The Storm begin their training camp at the home of Albury Tigers Football Club after the Albury Council elected to prevent the club using the local government managed Greenfield Park.[5]
- 11 May - The Victorian State Government ease restrictions allowing the Storm to train in Victoria.
- 15 May - The NRL release the revised fixture for Rounds 3 and 4.[6] Melbourne Storm will play the Round 3 fixture on the 30th May.
- 21 May - The full revised fixture is released for the remainder of 2020. Venues are only confirmed to Round 9, with the Storm to play home games at AAMI Park at this stage with no crowd.[7]
- Round 3 - On 30th May the Melbourne Storm recommenced their season with a 22-6 loss against the Canberra Raiders.
- Round 4 - The Storm return to the winners list with a win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs. Brenko Lee and Chris Lewis both make their playing debuts (For the Storm and NRL respectively). Brenko Lee also became the 200th player to play a game for the Melbourne Storm.
- 23 June - The Melbourne Storm and NRL announce that the team will relocate indefinitely to either NSW or QLD after a sharp increase in corona-virus cases over the previous week in Victoria [8]
- Round 7 - The Storm defeat the NZ Warriors 50-6 in their home game at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium in Sydney the match was notable as following the game Cameron Smith, Craig Bellamy and Ryan Hoffman all went into the Warriors' room to thank and acknowledge the sacrifice that they are making by moving to Australia during the COVID pandemic.[9] In addition, West Tigers Loan player Paul Momirovski made his debut for the Storm scoring 2 tries.
- 27 June - Further to the report on 23 June the Storm confirm that they will indefinitely relocate to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland playing home games out of Suncorp Stadium. [10]
- Round 8 - The Storm defeat the Sydney Roosters 27-25 after the game was sent into Golden Point with Ryan Papenhuyzen leveling the scores by kicking a field goal with 10 seconds remaining in regular time.
- 8 July - Melbourne Storm announce that they will play their next three home matches at Sunshine Coast Stadium (Rounds 10, 12 and 13). [11]
- Round 9 - The Storm defeat the Canberra Raiders 20-14. Darryn Schonig made his NRL debut and Cameron Smith reached another milestone with 300 wins in the NRL.
- Round 10 - Melbourne Storm play their first home game on the Sunshine Coast with a 42-6 win over the Gold Coast Titans.
- Round 12 - The Storm defeat the Knights in their 6th consecutive win. Cameron Smith injures his shoulder while scoring his try.
- Round 13 - Due to the injury and resting of Cameron Smith, Jesse Bromwich was named as acting captain.[12] Originally Dale Finucane was named as a co-captain but dropped out of the side due to a minor injury. Jahrome Hughes played his 50th game for the Storm after playing his 50th NRL game overall two weeks earlier[13] in the win over Canterbury.
- 18 August - The Storm announce that the remaining 3 home games in the 2020 season will be played at Sunshine Coast Stadium[14]
Milestone games
| Round | Player | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Round 4 | Brenko Lee | Storm debut |
| Round 4 | Chris Lewis | NRL debut |
| Round 6 | Suliasi Vunivalu | 100th Game |
| Round 7 | Paul Momirovski | Storm debut |
| Round 8 | Brandon Smith | 50th Game |
| Round 9 | Darryn Schonig | NRL debut |
| Round 9 | Cameron Smith | 300th Victory |
| Round 11 | Albert Vete | 50th Game |
| Round 11 | Jahrome Hughes | 50th Game |
Fixtures
Pre-season
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 February | 2020 NRL Nines Pool Game |  | HBF Park, Perth | Loss | 4 | 18 | [17] |
| 15 February | 2020 NRL Nines Pool Game |  | HBF Park, Perth | Loss | 8 | 12 | [17] |
| 22 February | Trial |  | Palmerston North, New Zealand | Win | 18 | 16 | [18] |
| 29 February | Trial |  | Casey Fields, Cranbourne | Win | 22 | 14 |
Regular season
Source:[19]
- (GP) - Golden Point extra time
- (pen) - Penalty try
| Date | Round | Opponent | Home/away | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 March | 1 | | Away | Lottoland, Sydney | Win | 18 | 4 | S Vunivalu (2), T Eisenhuth | C Smith 3/4 | [20] | |
| 21 March | 2 |  | Away | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney | Win | 12 | 10 | T Kamikamica | C Smith 4/4 | [7] | |
| 30 May | 3 |  | Home | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Loss | 6 | 22 | D Finucane | C Smith 1/1 | [21] | |
| 5 June | 4 |  | Home | AAMI Park, Melbourne | Win | 22 | 8 | R Papenhuyzen, S Vunivalu, J Addo-Carr, J Olam | C Smith 3/5 | [22] | |
| 13 June | 5 |  | Away | Central Coast Stadium, Gosford | Win | 26 | 12 | R Jacks, S Vunivalu, T Faasuamaleaui, B Smith | C Smith 5/5 | [23] | |
| 19 June | 6 |  | Away | Campbelltown Stadium, Sydney | Loss | 14 | 21 | F Kaufusi, B Lee | C Smith 3/3 | [24] | |
| 26 June | 7 | | Home | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney | Win | 50 | 6 | S Vunivalu (3), P Momirovski (2), R Papenhuyzen (2), B Smith, J Addo-Carr | C Smith 7/9 | [25] | |
| 2 July | 8 |  | Home | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Win (GP) | 27 | 25 | J Hughes (2), J Addo-Carr, P Momirovski | C Smith 5/5 | R Papenhuyzen 1/1 | [26] |
| 11 July | 9 | | Away | GIO Stadium, Canberra | Win | 20 | 14 | B Lee, J Addo-Carr, R Papenhuyzen | C Smith 4/4 | [27] | |
| 17 July | 10 |  | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Win | 42 | 6 | J Addo-Carr (2), N Asofa-Solomona (2), C Munster, B Lee, B Smith | C Smith 7/8 | [28] | |
| 24 July | 11 | | Away | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Win | 46 | 8 | J Addo-Carr (2), J Hughes (2), T Faasuamaleaui (2), K Bromwich, R Papenhuyzen | C Smith 7/9 | [29] | |
| 2 August | 12 | | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Win | 26 | 16 | S Vunivalu, C Smith, R Papenhuyzen, T Faasuamaleaui | C Smith 2/2, C Munster 3/4 | [30] | |
| 8 August | 13 |  | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | Win | 41 | 10 | J Addo-Carr (2), K Bromwich (2), N Hynes, J Olam, S Vunivalu | C Munster 3/4, N Hynes 3/3 | C Munster 1/1 | [31] |
| 13 August | 14 | | Away | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | Win | 24 | 6 | J Olam (2). J Hughes, F Kaufusi | R Papenhuyzen 4/5 | [32] | |
| 20 August | 15 |  | Away | Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta | |||||||
| 30 August | 16 | | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | |||||||
| 4 September | 17 | | Away | TBC | |||||||
| 13 September | 18 | | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | |||||||
| 19 September | 19 |  | Home | Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast | |||||||
| 27 September | 20 |  | Away | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney |
Original regular season fixture
Source:[33]
This was the original fixture for the Melbourne Storm prior to the coronavirus pandemic causing the season to be altered and rescheduled.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 March | 1 | | Lottoland, Sydney |
| 21 March | 2 | | Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Sydney |
| 28 March | 3 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 2 April | 4 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 11 April | 5 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 16 April | 6 | | North Queensland Stadium, Townsville |
| 25 April | 7 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 3 May | 8 | | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 11 May | 9 | | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney |
| 16 May | 10 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 26 May | 11 | | Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland |
| 12 | Bye | ||
| 6 June | 13 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 13 June | 14 | | McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle |
| 26 June | 15 | | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 3 July | 16 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 11 July | 17 | | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast |
| 18 July | 18 | | HBF Park, Perth |
| 24 July | 19 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 30 July | 20 | | Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta |
| 6 August | 21 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 14 August | 22 | | Bankwest Stadium, Parramatta |
| 21 August | 23 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 29 August | 24 | | AAMI Park, Melbourne |
| 5 September | 25 | | GIO Stadium, Canberra |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 350 | 194 | +156 | 25 |
| 2 |  |
14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 374 | 168 | +206 | 24 |
| 3 | |
14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 298 | 176 | +122 | 22 |
| 4 | |
14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 354 | 198 | +156 | 18 |
| 5 | |
14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 268 | 213 | +55 | 18 |
| 6 | |
14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 305 | 232 | +73 | 17 |
| 7 | |
14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 362 | 306 | +56 | 16 |
| 8 | |
14 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 309 | 256 | +53 | 16 |
| 9 | |
14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 314 | 301 | +13 | 12 |
| 10 | |
14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 237 | 287 | −50 | 12 |
| 11 | |
14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 262 | 290 | −28 | 10 |
| 12 |  |
14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 201 | 338 | −137 | 10 |
| 13 | |
14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 202 | 367 | −165 | 8 |
| 14 | |
14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 269 | 374 | −105 | 6 |
| 15 | |
14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 186 | 437 | −251 | 6 |
| 16 | |
14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 188 | 342 | −154 | 4 |
Coaching staff
- Craig Bellamy – Head Coach[34]
- Jason Ryles – Senior Assistant Coach
- Marc Brentnall – Assistant Coach
- Ben Jack – U/20s Head Coach
- Aaron Bellamy – Development Coach
- Ryan Hinchcliffe – Development Coach
- Frank Ponissi – Football Director
- Ryan Hoffman – Football Administration Coordinator
- Nick Maxwell – Leadership Coach
- Craig McRae – Kicking & Catching Coach
- Billy Slater – Specialist Coach (Part-time)
- Craig Hodges – Easts Tigers Feeder Club Coach
- Sam Mawhiniy – Sunshine Coast Falcons Feeder Club Coach
2020 squad
List current as of 8 June 2020
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1 Previous First Grade RL club: 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.
Player movements
Source:[35]
|
Losses
|
Gains
|
2 2020 season player swap: players to return to their original clubs at the end of the season, as they are contracted to their original clubs.[36]
Representative honours
This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NRL moved the 2020 State of Origin Series from its usual time slot in June/July and it will now be played post-season over three consecutive weeks in November.[37] In addition all internationals have now been cancelled for 2020.
Statistics
This table contains playing statistics for Melbourne Storm in the 2020 NRL season. Players are added as they play their first game for 2020. The table is up to date as of Round 12.
Statistics source:[38]
| Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Addo-Carr | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Nelson Asofa-Solomona | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Jesse Bromwich | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenny Bromwich | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tom Eisenhuth | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tino Fa'asuamaleaui | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Dale Finucane | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Jahrome Hughes | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Nicho Hynes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryley Jacks | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Tui Kamikamica | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Felise Kaufusi | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Max King | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brenko Lee | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Chris Lewis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paul Momirovski | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Cameron Munster | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Justin Olam | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Ryan Papenhuyzen | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 25 |
| Darryn Schonig | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marion Seve | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Smith | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Cameron Smith | 12 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 106 |
| Albert Vete | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suliasi Vunivalu | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Christian Welch | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 players used | — | 50 | 54 | 1 | 309 |
Scorers
Most points in a game: 14 points
- Round 7: Cameron Smith (7 goals) vs. New Zealand Warriors
- Round 10: Cameron Smith (7 goals) vs. Gold Coast Titans
- Round 11: Cameron Smith (7 goals) vs. Brisbane Broncos
Most tries in a game: 3
- Round 7: Suliasi Vunivalu vs. New Zealand Warriors
Winning games
Highest score in a winning game: 50 points
- Round 7: vs. New Zealand Warriors
Lowest score in a winning game: 12 points
- Round 2: vs. Cronulla Sharks
Greatest winning margin: 46 points
- Round 7: vs. New Zealand Warriors
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 8
- Round 7 - Round 14
Losing games
Highest score in a losing game: 14 points
- Round 6 vs. Penrith Panthers
Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points
- Round 3 vs. Canberra Raiders
Greatest losing margin: 16 points
- Round 3 vs. Canberra Raiders
Jersey
On 1 March 2020 at the Melbourne Storm family day the Storm unveiled their new jersey for 2020 which included a new major sponsor - Redzed Lending Solutions. The new jersey is predominantly navy blue and purple with fading chevrons down the front and white lightning bolts on the sides.[39] Throughout the season the club also wore some commemorative jerseys namely for Indigenous round also an Anzac jersey was created but because of the suspension of the season it was not worn. Also as of 13 June 2020 the Club added an embroidered V with the words "Our home Victoria" to both home and away jerseys to show support for their home state during the COVID pandemic.[40]
Awards
Trophy Cabinet
- 2020 Michael Moore Trophy
Melbourne Storm Awards Night
Held at Crown Palladium
- Melbourne Storm Player of the Year:
- Billy Slater Rookie of the Year:
- Melbourne Storm Members' Player of Year:
- Melbourne Storm Most Improved:
- Melbourne Storm Best Back:
- Melbourne Storm Best Forward:
- Cooper Cronk Feeder Club Player of the Year:
- Darren Bell U20s Player of the Year:
- U20s Best Back:
- U20s Best Forward:
- Greg Brentnall Young Achievers Award:
- Mick Moore Club Person of the Year:
- Life Member Inductee:
- Chairman's Award:
- Best Try:
Dally M Awards NightHeld at The Star Rugby League Players' Association Awards NightAdditional awards
|
gollark: I should generalize it to real numbers.
gollark: Gollark's nth law: Gollark's (n - 1)th law is abs(n % 100)% likely to be true.
gollark: Gollark's Third Law: Nobody ever gets percentages right, except for gollark.
gollark: So every time someone develops a new law, we simply add new laws to the system to correct for it.
gollark: No, no, how about a system of laws which, if another fitting one is added, will still maintain the 73%?
References
- Brad Walter (13 March 2020). "NRL looking at bigger picture with move to closed stadiums". National Rugby League. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- Dan Walsh (23 March 2020). "NRL suspends competition due to coronavirus pandemic". National Rugby League.
- Newton, Alicia (28 April 2020). "NRL announces 20 round competition for 2020". NRL.com. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Storm to set up camp in Albury". Melbourne Storm. 5 May 2020.
- "Storm keep training despite council vote". ABC.net.au. 7 May 2020.
- "Rivalries and intrigue headline round three draw for NRL restart". NRL.com. 15 May 2020.
- "Storm retain composure to outlast Sharks". Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Melbourne Storm forced to relocate for indefinite period following Victoria's COVID-19 spike". Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- "Emotional scenes as Storm captain, coach address Warriors post match". Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- "Storm heading for Queensland". Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- "Storm front coming for Sunshine Coast Stadium". Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- "Team Update - Round 13 v Bulldogs". Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- "Team List - Round 13 v Bulldogs". Retrieved 5 August 2020.
- "Storm to remain based on Sunshine Coast". Retrieved 18 August 2020.
- "2020 pre-season trial dates". Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- "NRL Nines confirmed for 2020 return in Perth". Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- "NRL Nines". Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- "Warriors sweat on latest prop injury after trial loss to Storm". Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- "NRL 2020: Here is the full season draw". Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- "Storm vs Sea Eagles". Retrieved 15 March 2020.
- "New rules suit ad-lib teams more than Storm: Welch". Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- "Latrell shines but Munster leads Storm to tough win". Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- "Knights vs Storm". Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- "Panthers vs Storm". Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- "Warriors vs Storm". Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- "Roosters vs Storm". Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- "Raiders vs Storm". Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- "Storm vs Titans". Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- "Broncos vs Storm". Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- "Shoulder to sideline Smith '2-3 weeks' as Storm nullify Knights". Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- "Storm Vs Bulldogs". Retrieved 9 August 2020.
- "Roosters vs Storm". Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- "2020 NRL Draw". Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- "Storm announce 2019 Football department structure". Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- "NRL Transfer Centre". Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- "Momirovski-Grant club swap finally a done deal". Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- "Breaking new ground: Origin series and women's game in November". Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "2020 Melbourne Point Scorers". afltables.com. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- "Storm announce RedZed as Major Partner". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- "This is for Victoria, our home". Retrieved 14 August 2020.
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