2024 Melbourne Storm season

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2024 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank2nd (as of round 8)
2024 recordWins: 6; draws: 0; losses: 1
Points scoredFor: 172; against: 118
Team information
CEOJustin Rodski
CoachCraig Bellamy
Captain
StadiumAAMI Park – 30,050
High attendance25,141 (Round 8)[a]
Top scorers
TriesRyan Papenhuyzen
Xavier Coates (6)
GoalsNick Meaney (26)
PointsNick Meaney (66)
← 2023 List of seasons 2025 →

The 2024 Melbourne Storm season is the 27th in the club's history, competing in the 2024 NRL season. The team is coached by Craig Bellamy, coaching the club for his 22nd consecutive season. Melbourne Storm has a new captain for the season, with Harry Grant replacing Christian Welch.[1]

Season summary[edit]

  • 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 entering 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]

Milestone games[edit]

Round Player Milestone
Round 1 Trent Loiero 50th match
Round 3 Shawn Blore Storm debut

Fixtures[edit]

Pre-season Challenge[edit]

Main article: 2024 NRL pre-season results

Source:[22][23]

Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
15 February Trial Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney Lost 12 24 D Ieremia, R Papenhuyzen J Pezet 2/2 [24]
24 February Trial Newcastle Knights Churchill Park, Lautoka, Fiji Won 28 10 E Katoa, X Coates, J Pezet, Y Tonumaipea, H Grant N Meaney 1/2, J Pezet 2/2, T Stewart 1/1 [25]

Regular season[edit]

Matches[edit]

Source:[26]

Date Rd Opponent H/A Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
8 March 1 Penrith Panthers Home AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 8 0 R Smith N Meaney 2/2 [27]
16 March 2 New Zealand Warriors Home AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 30 26 R Papenhuyzen (2), W Warbrick, N Meaney, X Coates N Meaney 5/6 J Pezet 0/1 [28]
24 March 3[i] Newcastle Knights Away McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle Lost 12 14 R Papenhuyzen, T Wishart N Meaney 2/2 R Papenhuyzen 0/1 [29]
30 March 4 Bye
4 April 5 Brisbane Broncos Home AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 34 32 E Katoa (2), X Coates, W Warbrick, T Wishart, J Hughes N Meaney 5/6 [30]
12 April 6 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Home AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 16 14 R Papenhuyzen, R Smith, S Blore N Meaney 2/3 [31]
18 April 7 Sydney Roosters Away Allianz Stadium, Sydney Won 18 12 J Hughes, E Katoa, X Coates N Meaney 3/3 [32]
25 April 8[ii] South Sydney Rabbitohs Home AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 54 20 X Coates (3), R Papenhuyzen (2), W Warbrick, H Grant, C Munster, T Wishart, J Chan N Meaney 7/10 R Papenhuyzen 0/1 [33]
4 May 9 Gold Coast Titans Away Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast
11 May 10 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Home AAMI Park, Melbourne
19 May 11[iii] Parramatta Eels Home Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
24 May 12[iv] Manly Sea Eagles Away 4 Pines Park, Sydney
1 June 13 Bye
9 June 14 Newcastle Knights Home AAMI Park, Melbourne
15 June 15 New Zealand Warriors Away Go Media Stadium, Auckland
21 June 16 Dolphins Away Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
29 June 17 Canberra Raiders Home AAMI Park, Melbourne
6 July 18 Wests Tigers Away Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
13 July 19 Bye
20 July 20 Sydney Roosters Home AAMI Park, Melbourne
26 July 21 Parramatta Eels Away CommBank Stadium, Sydney
3 August 22 St George Illawarra Dragons Home AAMI Park, Melbourne
8 August 23 South Sydney Rabbitohs Away Accor Stadium, Sydney
15 August 24 Penrith Panthers Away BlueBet Stadium, Sydney
24 August 25 Dolphins Home AAMI Park, Melbourne
29 August 26 North Queensland Cowboys Away Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
5 September 27 Brisbane Broncos Away Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Fixture notes:
  1. ^ Multicultural Round
  2. ^ ANZAC Round
  3. ^ Magic Round
  4. ^ Indigenous Round

Ladder[edit]

Main article: 2024 NRL season
Pos Team
 Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 7 6 0 1 1 199 100 +99 14 Advance to finals series
2 Melbourne Storm 7 6 0 1 1 172 118 +54 14
3 Penrith Panthers 7 5 0 2 1 148 112 +36 12
4 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 8 5 1 2 0 213 174 +39 11
5 Brisbane Broncos 8 5 0 3 0 216 152 +64 10
6 Dolphins 7 4 0 3 1 184 135 +49 10
7 Sydney Roosters 8 4 0 4 0 218 145 +73 8
8 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 7 3 0 4 1 142 125 +17 8
9 North Queensland Cowboys 8 4 0 4 0 203 217 −14 8
10 Canberra Raiders 8 4 0 4 0 164 180 −16 8
11 St. George Illawarra Dragons 8 4 0 4 0 154 214 −60 8
12 New Zealand Warriors 8 3 1 4 0 168 151 +17 7
13 Newcastle Knights 8 3 0 5 0 138 163 −25 6
14 Parramatta Eels 8 3 0 5 0 157 212 −55 6
15 Wests Tigers 7 2 0 5 1 105 160 −55 6
16 Gold Coast Titans 7 1 0 6 1 117 204 −87 4
17 South Sydney Rabbitohs 7 1 0 6 1 114 250 −136 4
Updated to match(es) played on 28 April 2024. Source: Official NRL Ladder for 2024 Premiership Season

Coaching staff[edit]

2024 squad[edit]

List current as of 7 March 2024[37]

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm players
Cap Nat. Player name Position First Storm game Previous First Grade RL club [b]
154 Samoa Young Tonumaipea WG,FB 2014 Australia Melbourne Storm
160 Australia Cameron Munster FE, FB 2014 Australia Melbourne Storm
166 New Zealand Nelson Asofa-Solomona SR, PR 2015 Australia Melbourne Storm
167 Australia Christian Welch SR, PR 2015 Australia Melbourne Storm
181 Fiji Tui Kamikamica SR, PR 2017 Australia Melbourne Storm
184 New Zealand Jahrome Hughes FE, FB 2017 Australia North Queensland Cowboys
188 Australia Harry Grant HK 2018 Australia Melbourne Storm
193 Samoa Marion Seve WG 2019 Australia Melbourne Storm
194 Australia Ryan Papenhuyzen FB 2019 Australia Melbourne Storm
201 Australia Chris Lewis SR 2020 Australia Melbourne Storm
207 New Zealand Aaron Pene PR 2020 Australia New Zealand Warriors
210 New Zealand Reimis Smith WG 2021 Australia Canterbury Bulldogs
212 Australia Trent Loiero SR 2021 Australia Melbourne Storm
213 Samoa Dean Ieremia WG 2021 Australia Melbourne Storm
215 Cook Islands Tepai Moeroa SR, LK 2021 Australia Parramatta Eels
217 Papua New Guinea Xavier Coates WG 2022 Australia Brisbane Broncos
218 Australia Nick Meaney FB 2022 Australia Canterbury Bulldogs
219 Australia Josh King PR 2022 Australia Newcastle Knights
220 Australia Tyran Wishart FE, HK 2022 Australia Melbourne Storm
221 Australia Alec MacDonald LK 2022 Australia Melbourne Storm
222 Australia Grant Anderson CE 2022 Australia Melbourne Storm
225 New Zealand William Warbrick CE, WG 2023 Australia Melbourne Storm
226 Tonga Eliesa Katoa SR 2023 New Zealand New Zealand Warriors
227 Australia Bronson Garlick LK, SR 2023 Australia Melbourne Storm
228 Australia Kane Bradley WG, CE 2023 Australia North Queensland Cowboys
229 Australia Jonah Pezet HB 2023 Australia Melbourne Storm
231 Samoa Sualauvi Fa'alogo FB, WG 2023 Australia Melbourne Storm
232 Australia Jack Howarth SR 2023 Australia Melbourne Storm
233 France Joe Chan SR 2023 France Catalans Dragons
234 Australia Shawn Blore SR 2024 Australia Wests Tigers
– Australia Ammaron Gudgeon FB Yet to debut Australia Melbourne Storm
– Australia Tristan Powell PR Yet to debut Australia Melbourne Storm
– Australia Keagan Russell-Smith FE, HB Yet to debut Australia Melbourne Storm
– Australia Lazarus Vaalepu PR Yet to debut Australia Melbourne Storm
– Australia Coby Williamson CE Yet to debut Australia Melbourne Storm

Player movements[edit]

Source:[38]

Representative honours[edit]

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2024.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm representatives
Player NRL All Star match State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 Test matches
Jack Howarth[49] Māori — — — —
Jahrome Hughes[49] Māori — — — —

Statistics[edit]

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2024 NRL season.

  • Players are added as they play their first game in the season.
  • Table updated as round 8
  • Statistics sources:[50]
Further information: List of Melbourne Storm records
Name Appearances Tries Goals Field goals Points
Nelson Asofa-Solomona 2 0 0 0 0
Shawn Blore 5 1 0 0 4
Kane Bradley 1 0 0 0 0
Joe Chan 4 1 0 0 4
Xavier Coates 7 6 0 0 24
Harry Grant 7 1 0 0 4
Jack Howarth 1 0 0 0 0
Jahrome Hughes 6 2 0 0 8
Tui Kamikamica 5 0 0 0 0
Eliesa Katoa 7 3 0 0 12
Josh King 7 0 0 0 0
Chris Lewis 3 0 0 0 0
Trent Loiero 7 0 0 0 0
Alec MacDonald 7 0 0 0 0
Nick Meaney 7 1 26 0 66
Tepai Moeroa 2 0 0 0 0
Cameron Munster 4 1 0 0 4
Ryan Papenhuyzen 7 6 0 0 24
Jonah Pezet 3 0 0 0 0
Reimis Smith 7 2 0 0 8
William Warbrick 7 3 0 0 12
Christian Welch 6 0 0 0 0
Tyran Wishart 6[c] 3 0 0 12
23 players used — 30 26 0/0 172

Scorers[edit]

Most points in a game: 14

  • Round 2 – Nick Meaney (1 try, 5 goals) vs New Zealand Warriors
  • Round 8 – Nick Meaney (7 goals) vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Most tries in a game: 3

  • Round 8 – Xavier Coates vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Winning games[edit]

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: 34 points

  • Round 8 vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 4

  • Rounds 5–8 (current)

Losing games[edit]

Highest score in a losing game: 12 points

  • Round 3 vs Newcastle Knights

Lowest score in a losing game: 12 points

  • Round 3 vs Newcastle Knights

Greatest losing margin: 2 points

  • Round 3 vs Newcastle Knights

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 1

  • Round 3

Jerseys[edit]

In November 2023, Melbourne Storm announced a new sponsorship and apparel partnership agreement with Irish sportswear company O'Neills,[51] 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,[52] 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.[53]

Awards[edit]


Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Home matches in Melbourne only
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ Wishart was an unused interchange player in the round 7 match against the Roosters. He does not gain an official appearance for this match.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Harry Grant to Captain Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Storm Farewell Premiership Star Olam, Welcome Blore". melbournestorm.com.au. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Melbourne Storm announce Harry Grant as Captain for 2024". espn.com.au. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  4. ^ Gabor, Martin (7 February 2024). "Harry Grant will captain Melbourne Storm in 2024". news.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Fa'alogo extends stay at Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  6. ^ Mayne, Joshua (29 February 2024). "NRL contract news: Sua Fa'alogo signs monster extension with Melbourne Storm". The Sporting News. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  7. ^ O'Loughlin, Liam (29 February 2024). "'Bit like Reece Walsh': Storm lock in rising star Sua Fa'alogo on monster five-year extension". Nine's Wide World of Sport. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  8. ^ Lenehan, Martin (8 March 2024). "Storm stun Panthers to stretch unbeaten Round 1 run to 22 years". NRL.com. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  9. ^ Tiernan, Eamonn (8 March 2024). "Bellamy's perfect record sinks Panthers in 2024's fifth straight upset: What We Learned". foxsports.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  10. ^ Proszenko, Adrian (16 March 2024). "Is this the greatest try ever? Coates produces a put-down for the ages". smh.com.au. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Americans react to 'astonishing' Coates finish as 'best try ever' goes global". foxsports.com.au. News Corporation Australia. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Warriors awestruck after Xavier Coates jumps 'over a skyscraper' to score Storm's NRL match-winning try". abc.net.au. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Melbourne Storm star Jahrome Hughes faces NRL ban for referee contact in 30-26 win over Warriors". abc.net.au. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  14. ^ O'Loughlin, Liam (17 March 2024). "Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes facing suspension after referee incident". Nine's Wide World of Sport. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  15. ^ Chapman, Grant (18 March 2024). "NRL: Melbourne Storm half Jahrome Hughes suspended for pushing referee during win over NZ Warriors". Newshub.co.nz. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  16. ^ "'Absolute stupidity': League greats blast NRL as Storm star accepts ban over 'ridiculous' ref charge". foxsports.com.au. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  17. ^ Edwards, Colleen (4 April 2024). "Storm snatch late win as Broncos also lose Reynolds". NRL.com. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  18. ^ Gould, Russell (4 April 2024). "'Never seen it better': 66-point thriller stuns as hoodoo continues, Reynolds goes down: What we learned". foxsports.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Nick Meaney to remain in purple until the end of 2026". melbournestorm.com.au. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Nick Meaney's Storm future settled". espn.com.au. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  21. ^ Tiernan, Eamonn (12 April 2024). "Storm hold off epic Bulldogs comeback in thriller... but star in trouble: What we learned". foxsports.com.au. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  22. ^ "2024 Preseason challenge". Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  23. ^ "NRL Pre-Season Challenge 2024: When, where each team will play". NRL.com. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Pre-season Challenge - Round 1 (Bulldogs v Storm)". NRL.com. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Pre-season Challenge - Round 2 (Storm v Knights)". NRL.com. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  26. ^ "NRL 2024 Melbourne Storm Draw". Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  27. ^ "NRL 2024: Storm v Panthers". NRL.com. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  28. ^ "NRL 2024: Storm v Warriors". NRL.com. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  29. ^ "NRL 2024: Knights v Storm". NRL.com. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  30. ^ "NRL 2024: Storm v Broncos". NRL.com. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  31. ^ "NRL 2024: Storm v Bulldogs". NRL.com. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  32. ^ "NRL 2024: Roosters v Storm". NRL.com. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  33. ^ "NRL 2024: Storm v Rabbitohs". NRL.com. 25 April 2024. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  34. ^ "Storm announce 2019 Football department structure". 5 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  35. ^ "Lowrie to return to Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  36. ^ Callinan, Josh (3 November 2022). "Former NRL player Todd Lowrie joins Melbourne Storm coaching staff for 2023". Australian Community Media. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  37. ^ "2023 NRL Signings Tracker: Updated squads as new season begins". NRL.com. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  38. ^ "NRL Signings Tracker". NRL.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  39. ^ "Eisenhuth farewells Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  40. ^ Pryde, Scott (17 November 2023). "Former Storm utility makes call on future". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  41. ^ "Geyer to return to Gold Coast". melbournestorm.com.au. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Storm farewells duo". 3 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  43. ^ "Ex-Storm prop earns train-and-trail opportunity with Panthers". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  44. ^ "Nikorima to depart Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 29 September 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  45. ^ McAllister, Josh (30 September 2023). "NRL playmaker Jayden Nikorima makes Super League move following release from Melbourne Storm". loverugbyleague.com. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  46. ^ Pryde, Scott (5 January 2024). "Olam's Storm exit to be confirmed in immediate player swap". Zero Tackle. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  47. ^ "Sims departs Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  48. ^ Walker, Callum (27 September 2023). "Melbourne Storm star Tariq Sims' Super League move confirmed". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  49. ^ a b "Harvey Norman All Stars 2024 Teams Announced". NRL.com. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  50. ^ "Melbourne Storm - NRL 2024". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  51. ^ "Storm joins forces with O'Neills". melbournestorm.com.au. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  52. ^ "Melbourne Storm unveils 2024 kit". melbournestorm.com.au. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  53. ^ "Storm unveil 'dazzling' ANZAC Round Jersey". melbournestorm.com.au. 2 April 2024. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  54. ^ "Storm celebrate Junior Rep Awards night". melbournestorm.com.au. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  55. ^ Woods, Melissa (25 April 2024). "Munster masterclass, Coates hat-trick piles more misery on Rabbitohs". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
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