2009 Melbourne Storm season
The 2009 Melbourne Storm season was the 12th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2009 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 4th out of 16 teams. They then progressed to their fourth consecutive grand final, this time to be played against the Parramatta Eels and won, claiming their second premiership in three seasons, a title later stripped in 2010 after being found guilty of salary cap breaches.
| 2009 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRL Rank | 4th | |||
| Play-off result | Grand Final Winners | |||
| 2009 record | Wins: 14; Draws: 1; Losses: 9 | |||
| Points scored | For: 505; Against: 348 | |||
| Team information | ||||
| CEO | Brian Waldron | |||
| Coach | Craig Bellamy | |||
| Captain |
| |||
| Stadium | Olympic Park | |||
| Top scorers | ||||
| Tries | Billy Slater (18) | |||
| Goals | Cameron Smith (65) | |||
| Points | Cameron Smith (142) | |||
| ||||
A slow start to the season saw Melbourne win just three of their first seven games. However the team rallied, losing just one of their next seven to move into fourth position by Round 14, where they would remain for the rest of the season. The finals series was when Melbourne really hit their straps, winning their first two finals by 28 and 30 points respectively. In the Grand Final, Storm defeated Parramatta 23-16 with Billy Slater named the Clive Churchill Medalist. [1]
Melbourne played all their regular season home games at Olympic Park, the final season playing at the venue before moving to the new Melbourne Rectangular Stadium the following season.
Season summary
- Round 1 – A field goal in the fourth minute of golden point extra time by Greg Inglis gives Melbourne a thrilling 17-16 win over St George Illawarra Dragons in the 2009 season opening game at Olympic Park. The game was the first played under the NRL's dual-referee system.[2]
- Round 2 – A try by former Storm player Israel Folau and a highly controversial try by Peter Wallace hands Brisbane Broncos a 16-14 win over Melbourne at Suncorp Stadium. It is the Broncos first win over Melbourne since the 2006 NRL Grand Final.[2]
- 14 April – After being informed that he was not fit into their long-term plans, Parramatta Eels' halfback Brett Finch signs with Melbourne, joining the club for the remainder of the 2009 season.[2]
- Round 7 – Hosting a match on ANZAC Day for just the second time, Melbourne drew 14-14 against New Zealand Warriors in wet and slippery conditions at Olympic Park. Warriors fullback Lance Hohaia looked to have broken the deadlock with less than a minute left in golden point extra time, before the video referee disallowed his successful field goal attempt due to a knock-on in the lead up from Stacey Jones. The drawn result was the club's first since the institution of golden point in 2003.[3]
- Round 8 – Melbourne exact a small amount of revenge on Manly with a 22-8 win at Brookvale Oval in their first rematch since the 2008 NRL Grand Final.[2]
- Round 9 – With eight players backing up from the midseason test only three nights earlier, regular captain Cameron Smith starts from the bench, with Cooper Cronk taking over as acting captain. Melbourne defeat Sydney Roosters 28-12 in front of a small crowd at Gosford.[2]
- 13 May – Part-time specialist coach Matthew Johns indefinitely parted ways with the club following his involvement in a sex scandal.[4]
- Round 10 – Melbourne claim their 14th-straight win over Canberra Raiders, winning 46-6, their greatest winning margin over the Raiders.[2]
- Round 13 – Two days after the opening State of Origin match, Melbourne thrash Brisbane 48-4 at Olympic Park, with Joe Tomane scoring 24 points (three tries, six goals).[2]
- Round 14 – Melbourne returned to Perth for the first time since 1999, defeating South Sydney Rabbitohs 28-22 at Members Equity Stadium.
- Round 15 – Dane Nielsen becomes the first player sent off for the season, after a high tackle on Wests Tigers winger Beau Ryan. With only a few minutes remaining after Nielsen's dismissal, Melbourne hold on to win 14-12.[2]
- Round 16 – Canberra defeat Melbourne 26-16 at Canberra Stadium, to win their first game against Storm since 2002.
- 30 July – Brett Finch signs a one-year deal to stay with Melbourne in 2010.[2]
- 7 August – Melbourne announce that they will end their feeder club arrangement with Central Coast Storm and establish their own team in the NSW Cup in 2010.[2]
- 10 August – Greg Inglis is charged by police for assaulting his girlfriend Sally Robinson. He is immediately stood-down by Melbourne, with club sponsor ME Bank reportedly reviewing their position with the club.[2]
- 27 August – The Melbourne Storm board allow Greg Inglis to resume playing, despite still facing assault charges.[2]
- Round 25 – In the club's last game at Olympic Park, the return of Greg Inglis sparked Melbourne to a 38-4 win over Sydney Roosters, ending a two-game losing streak. Melbourne finish with 104 wins from 136 games at Olympic Park, an imposing 76.5 winning percentage.[2]
- Round 26 – Melbourne book a top-four finish, with an impressive 30-0 win over New Zealand Warriors to regain the Michael Moore Trophy.
- Qualifying Final – Returning to Etihad Stadium, Melbourne thrash Manly 40-12 led by four tries from Billy Slater. The win, coupled with upsets in the other qualifying finals earns Melbourne a week off and a preliminary final in Melbourne.
- Preliminary Final – Held on the night of the 2009 AFL Grand Final, a crowd of 27,687 watches Melbourne demolish Brisbane 40-10 to make their fourth successive Grand Final. A hat-trick of tries to Greg Inglis helping Melbourne end Brisbane's season in disappointment for the third year in a row.[2]
- Grand Final – Melbourne Storm win their 3rd Grand Final in their 11 year history, beating the Parramatta Eels 23–16 at ANZ Stadium in front of crowd of 82,538. Billy Slater is awarded the Clive Churchill Medal, as Melbourne lead all night withstanding a late Parramatta comeback.
- 12 November – Salary cap pressure forces Melbourne to bid farewell to Dallas Johnson who subsequently signs with Catalans Dragons on a three-year deal.[2]
Milestone games
| Round | Player | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Willie Isa | Storm debut |
| Ryan Hinchcliffe | Storm debut | |
| Wairangi Koopu | Storm debut | |
| Round 5 | James Maloney | NRL debut |
| Matthew Cross | Storm debut | |
| Round 6 | Cameron Smith | 150th game |
| Round 7 | Brett Finch | Storm debut |
| Round 15 | Brett White | 100th game |
| Round 19 | Luke Kelly | NRL debut |
| Round 20 | Hep Cahill | NRL debut |
| Round 22 | Billy Slater | 150th game |
| Dallas Johnson | 150th game | |
| Steve Turner | 100th NRL game | |
| Round 23 | Matthew Cross | 50th NRL game |
| Round 24 | Ryan Tandy | Storm debut |
| Round 25 | Ryan Hoffman | 150th game |
| Preliminary Final | Billy Slater | 100th NRL try |
Fixtures
Pre Season
| Match | Opponent | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trial Match | New Zealand Warriors | Loss | 12 | 24 | 12 Feb | Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand |
| Trial Match | Newcastle Knights | Win | 32 | 24 | 21 Feb | Princes Park |
| Trial Match | Brisbane Broncos | Win | 20 | 6 | 28 Feb | Sunshine Coast Stadium |
Regular season
Round 1 14 March 2009 7:30pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 17–16 | St. George Illawarra Dragons |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Cronk, Inglis, Slater Goals: Smith 2/3 Field Goals: Inglis |
Tries: Cooper, Hornby Goals: Soward 2/2 |
Round 2 21 March 2009 7:30pm Local |
| Brisbane Broncos | 16–14 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Folau, Michaels, Wallace Goals: Parker 3/3 |
Tries: Slater, Proctor Goals: Smith 2/2 Penalties: Smith 1/1 |
Round 3 27 March 2009 7:35pm Local |
| North Queensland Cowboys | 12–26 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Bolton, Williams Goals: Thurston 2/2 |
Tries: Cronk, Inglis, Quinn, Turner Goals: Smith 4/4 Penalties Smith 1/1 |
Round 4 4 April 2009 2:00pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 6–18 | Gold Coast Titans |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Tomane Goals: Smith 1/1 |
Tries: Bailey, Walker Goals: Rogers 2/2 Penalties Rogers 3/3 |
Round 5 13 April 2009 7:00pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 16–14 | Penrith Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Slater, Quinn Goals: Smith 2/2, Penalties Smith 2/2 |
Tries: Tighe, Lewis Goals: Gordon 2/2 Penalties Gordon 1/1 |
Round 6 20 April 2009 7:00pm Local |
| Wests Tigers | 16–6 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Lawrence 2, Moltzen Goals: Marshall 2/2 |
Tries: Hoffman Goals: Smith 1/1 |
Round 7 25 April 2009 5:30pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 14–14 | New Zealand Warriors |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Chambers, Slater, Turner Goals: Smith 1/3 |
Tries: Vatuvei 2, Ah Van, Penalties: Kemp 1/3 |
Round 8 1 May 2009 7:00pm Local |
| Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 8–22 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Williams, Robertson | Tries: Cross, Turner, Slater, Inglis Goals: Smith 3/4 Penalties: Smith 1/1 |
Round 9 11 May 2009 7:00pm Local |
| Sydney Roosters | 12–28 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Perrett, Sa Goals: Fitzgibbon 2/2 |
Tries: White, Turner, Lima, Finch, Hoffman Goals: Tomane 4/5 |
Round 10 18 May 2009 7:00pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 46–6 | Canberra Raiders |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Slater 2, Turner, Hoffman, Lima, Cross, Inglis, Blair Goals: Smith 5/6 Tomane 1/1 |
Tries: Monaghan Goals: Campese 1/1 |
Round 11 11 May 2009 7:00pm Local |
| Canterbury Bulldogs | 26–12 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Ryan, Goodwin, Millard, Warburton Goals: El Masri 4/4 Penalties: El Masri 1/1 |
Tries: Chambers 2 Goals: Smith 1/2 |
Round 12 5 June 2009 |
| . | Bye | . |
|---|---|---|
Round 13 5 June 2009 7:00pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 48–4 | Brisbane Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Tomane 3, Cronk 2, Slater , Inglis, Tolman Goals: Tomane 6/9 |
Tries: Folau |
Round 14 13 June 2009 7:30pm Local |
| South Sydney Rabbitohs | 22–28 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Simpson 2, Fa'alogo, Merritt Goals: Sandow 1/1, Luke 2/3 |
Tries: Inglis, Turner, Hoffman, Tomane, Cronk, Koopu Goals: Smith 2/6 |
Round 15 21 June 2009 7:30pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 14–12 | Wests Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Cronk, Cross Goals: Tomane 2/2 Penalties: Tomane 1/1 |
Tries: Ayshford, Moltzen Goals: Marshall 2/2 |
Round 16 17 August 2009 19:00pm Local |
| Canberra Raiders | 26–16 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Carney 2, Monaghan 2, Harrison Goals: Campese 3/5 |
Tries: Smith, Inglis, Chambers Goals: Smith 2/3 |
Round 17 4 July 2009 19:30pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 18–14 | Newcastle Knights |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Inglis, Slater, Chambers Goals: Smith 3/3 |
Tries: Naiqama, Uate Goals: Gidley 2/2 Penalties: Gidley 1/1 |
Round 18 10 July 2009 |
| . | Bye | . |
|---|---|---|
Round 19 20 July 2009 19:00pm Local |
| Parramatta Eels | 18–16 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Lowrie, Moimoi, Robson Goals: Burt 2/3 Penalties: Burt 1/1 |
Tries: Tomane, Hoffman, Nielsen Goals: Tomane 2/3 |
Round 20 25 July 2009 19:30pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 30–10 | Cronulla Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Anderson 2, Tomane, Hinchcliffe, Chambers, Smith Goals: Smith 1/3, Tomane 1/3 Penalties: Smith 1/1 |
Tries: Covell, Ferguson Goals: Covell 1/2 |
Round 21 31 July 2009 19:35pm Local |
| St. George Illawarra Dragons | 26–12 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Sailor 2, Morris, Green, Scott Goals: Soward 3/5 |
Tries: Inglis, Finch Goals: Smith 1/2 Penalties: Smith 1/1 |
Round 22 7 August 2009 19:35pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 20–8 | North Queensland Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Turner, Finch, Cronk, Tomane Goals: Smith 2/4 |
Tries: Tonga 2 |
Round 23 17 August 2009 19:00pm Local |
| Newcastle Knights | 26–14 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Mullen, Taufua, Hilder, Vuna Goals: Gidley 4/4 Penalties: Gidley 1/1 |
Tries: Cronk, Turner, Anderson Goals: Smith 1/3 |
Round 24 23 August 2009 15:00pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 16–20 | Manly Sea Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Tomane 2, Chambers Goals: Smith 2/3 |
Tries: Williams, Foran, Lyon Goals: Orford 3/3 Penalties: Orford 1/1 |
Round 25 23 August 2009 15:00pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 38–4 | Sydney Roosters |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Inglis 2, Turner 2, Chambers, Slater, Tolman Goals: Smith 5/7 |
Tries: Shaun Kenny-Dowall |
Round 26 5 September 2009 19:30pm Local |
| New Zealand Warriors | 0–30 | Melbourne Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Goals: |
Tries: Chambers 2, Hinchcliffe, Inglis, Nielsen, Slater Goals: Smith 3/6 |
Finals
Qualifying Final 11 September 2009 19:45pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 40–12 | Manly Sea Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Slater 4, Nielsen, Smith, Tolman Goals: Smith 5/6, Turner 1/1 |
Tries: Foran, Matai Goals: Orford 2/2 |
Preliminary Final 26 September 2009 19:45pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 40–10 | Brisbane Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Inglis 3, Slater 2, Chambers, Johnson Goals: Smith 6/7 |
Tries: Folau, Glenn Goals: Parker 1/2 |
Grand Final 4 October 2009 17:00pm Local |
| Melbourne Storm | 23–16 | Parramatta Eels |
|---|---|---|
| Tries: Blair, Hoffman, Inglis, Slater Goals: Smith 3/4 Field Goals: Inglis |
Tries: Grothe, Reddy, Moi Moi Goals: Burt 2/3 |
Ladder
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  St. George Illawarra Dragons |
24 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 548 | 329 | +219 | 38 |
| 2 |  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs |
24 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 575 | 428 | +147 | 381 |
| 3 |  Gold Coast Titans |
24 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 514 | 467 | +47 | 36 |
| 4 |  Melbourne Storm |
24 | 14 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 505 | 348 | +157 | 33 |
| 5 |  Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 549 | 459 | +90 | 32 |
| 6 |  Brisbane Broncos |
24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 511 | 566 | −55 | 32 |
| 7 |  Newcastle Knights |
24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 508 | 491 | +17 | 30 |
| 8 |  Parramatta Eels |
24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 476 | 473 | +3 | 29 |
| 9 |  Wests Tigers |
24 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 558 | 483 | +75 | 28 |
| 10 |  South Sydney Rabbitohs |
24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 566 | 549 | +17 | 27 |
| 11 |  Penrith Panthers |
24 | 11 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 515 | 589 | −74 | 27 |
| 12 |  North Queensland Cowboys |
24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 558 | 474 | +84 | 26 |
| 13 |  Canberra Raiders |
24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 489 | 520 | −31 | 22 |
| 14 |  New Zealand Warriors |
24 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 377 | 565 | −188 | 20 |
| 15 |  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks |
24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 359 | 568 | −209 | 14 |
| 16 |  Sydney Roosters |
24 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 382 | 681 | −299 | 14 |
1 The Bulldogs were deducted 2 competition points after an interchange breach in Round 2.
2009 Coaching Staff
- Craig Bellamy - Head Coach
- Michael Maguire- Assistant Coaches
- Stephen Kearney- Assistant Coaches
- Brad Arthur – U/20s Coach
- Frank Ponissi - Football Director
- Alex Corvo -Strength and Conditioning
2009 Squad
List current as of 3 May 2022[5]
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2009 NRL Grand Final Winning Team
| 2009 Grand Final Winning Team | Interchange | Coach | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Head coach
| |||||||
2009 NYC Grand Final Winning Team
| 2009 NYC Grand Final Winning Team | Interchange | Coach | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Head coach
| |||||||
Feeder Team
Central Coast made the finals, finishing in 2nd position (out of 11 teams), behind eventual premiers Bankstown City Bulls.
| 2009 New South Wales Cup[6] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
| 2 | Central Coast Storm |
20 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 526 | 462 | +64 | 31 | |
Awards
Trophy CabinetMelbourne Storm Awards Night
|
Dally M Awards Night
Rugby League World Golden Boot Awarda NightRLPA Awards Night
RLIF Awards
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.
References
- "History Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- Middleton, David. 2008 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines.
- "ANZAC Day 2009". melbournestorm.com.au. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- Vaughan, Robert (13 May 2009). "Melbourne Storm and Johns part ways". ninemsn.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
- "2009 - Player Profiles". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- "VB Cup Ladder 2009". nswrl.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- "NRL Honour Board". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- "Slater wins Storm's Player of the Year Award". leagueunlimited.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
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