2010 Melbourne Storm season

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2010 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank16th (wooden spoon)
2010 recordWins: 14; draws: 0; losses: 10
Points scoredFor: 489; against: 363
Team information
CEOBrian Waldron
Matt Hanson
Frank Stanton (acting)
Ron Gauci
CoachCraig Bellamy
Captain
StadiumAAMI Park – 30,050 (9 Games)
Etihad Stadium - 53,500 (3 Games)
Avg. attendance14,670
High attendance25,480 (Round 4)[a]
Top scorers
TriesGreg Inglis (11)
GoalsCameron Smith (54)
PointsCameron Smith (116)
← 2009 List of seasons 2011 →

The 2010 Melbourne Storm season was the 13th in the club's history and competed in the NRL's 2010 Telstra Premiership. After winning the first four games of the season, Storm's season would hit a significant challenge after Round 6 when the NRL penalised the club for salary cap breaches with the team unable to play for points for the remainder of the season. These revelations also saw them stripped of the 2007 and 2009 Premierships and the 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premiership titles.

Craig Bellamy and the players maintained an incredible focus to win 14 games for the year, the same number they achieved the previous season. That would have been enough to see them finish in fifth spot on the ladder. This season remains the only time Storm have missed the finals in the Bellamy era.

Greg Inglis scored 11 tries to finish as the team's leading try scorer in his final year at Storm. Other notable players to leave included Brett White, Ryan Hoffman, Brett Finch, Jeff Lima and Aiden Tolman. However, there were several highlights during the season with youngsters Jesse Bromwich, Matthew Duffie, Luke Kelly, Rory Kostjasyn, Justin O’Neill and Gareth Widdop all bursting on the scene.

Storm also played their first ever game at AAMI Park in Round 9. Ryan Hinchcliffe was named Storm's player of the year while Ron Gauci was installed as Storm CEO midway through the difficult season and set about rebuilding the Club over the next several seasons. Craig Bellamy continues to be highly regarded for the way he led the Club throughout 2010 and had this to say when summing up the season.

"When we found out it was obviously devastating and the year has been a drawn-out and difficult one ever since. But we stayed competitive, we unearthed some good kids and we conducted ourselves with dignity. For that I’m proud of the boys. It’s sad to see guys go especially given the massive contribution they have had to this club". - Craig Bellamy[1]

Season summary[edit]

  • 11 January – Matt Hanson is appointed club CEO, replacing Brian Waldron who had been in the role since 2005.
  • 21 February – Melbourne begin their UK Tour with a victory over Harlequins RL at The Stoop, winning 34-10 with Dane Nielsen scoring a double.[2]
  • World Club Challenge – Melbourne defeat Leeds Rhinos 18-10 in the 2010 World Club Challenge held at Elland Road, the club's second triumph in the fixture. Played in torrential rain, the scores were locked at 4-all at half time, with no tries scored. Storm captain Cameron Smith who started the match at halfback, was announced as player of the match.[3]
  • Round 1 – Luke MacDougall scores a try in his club debut, his first NRL game since June 2007, as Melbourne start the season with a 14-10 win over Cronulla.[3] It is the club's seventh straight Round 1 victory under Craig Bellamy.
  • Round 2 – Behind 14-0 after 22 minutes, Melbourne come back to defeat Newcastle Knights 20-14.[3]
  • Round 3 – Returning from a hip injury, Cooper Cronk made an instant impact from the bench setting up a try and pulling off a 40-20 kick to help Melbourne to a 16-10 win over Penrith Panthers in Greg Inglis's 100th NRL game.[3]
  • March 27 – Allegations of a salary cap breach are levelled at the club as Cameron Smith takes up a promotional and commentary contract with Fox Sports, speculation about the legality of the deal lingering with both the club and Fox Sports owned by News Limited.[3]
  • Round 4 – In the club's first game of the season held in Victoria, Melbourne extended their undefeated start to the season with a 17-4 win over St George Illawarra Dragons, in front of a crowd of 25,480 a regular season record for games played in Victoria. Played on Good Friday, the club would raise $50,000 towards the Good Friday Appeal. After four rounds of the 2010 NRL season Melbourne would sit on top of the ladder as the only undefeated team.
  • Round 5 – A handful of controversial refereeing decisions[3] sees Gold Coast Titans hand Melbourne their first defeat of the season, coming from 16-4 down to win 20-16. Anthony Quinn's hat trick of tries not enough to secure victory.
  • 12 April – Greg Inglis escapes conviction on assault charges following an incident with his girlfriend Sally Robinson in August 2009. Inglis was ordered to complete a diversion order after accepting responsibility for his actions.[4] Inglis was stood down for a short period at the time of the incident in 2009.
  • Round 6 – Down 16-0 after only 16 minutes in Monday night football, Melbourne fall short 18-16 against Manly to lose their second successive game.[3]
  • 22 April – See salary cap scandal section.
  • Round 7 – Just three days after the salary cap scandal news broke and the punishments announced, Melbourne players high on passion and emotion thrash the New Zealand Warriors 40-6 at Etihad Stadium.[3] Rookie Matt Duffie scores two tries on his NRL debut, with Cameron Smith quoted "we had a lot to get through this week, sitting at home not knowing how we are going to feel tonight... I can say it's the proudest moment of all our careers."[3]
  • Round 9 – In the first NRL game at the new $267m AAMI Park venue, Storm lose 36-14 despite Anthony Quinn scoring the first try at the ground. Playing without Cameron Smith, Melbourne looked flat as former Storm player Israel Folau scored two tries.[3]
  • 13 May – An injury suffered by Anthony Quinn in the match against Brisbane is found to be more serious, with the winger to be sidelined for over a month after surgery.
  • Round 10 – Amidst chaotic scenes in the crowd as angry Canberra Raiders fans waved $10 and $20 notes over the fence at Melbourne players, the Storm beat the original 1990s salary cap cheating club Canberra 17-6 on the back of a hat trick of tries to Greg Inglis.[3]
  • 18 May – Aiden Tolman becomes the first player to be forced out of the club after the salary cap punishments, signing a 3-year contract with Canterbury from 2011.[3]
  • 27 May – Melbourne players secure a deal with club sponsors who agree to donate money to different charities every week. The program is launched as "Points with a Purpose" with each game having a different charity as beneficiary of a donation for each point scored by the team.[3]
  • Round 12 – Melbourne win their first game at AAMI Park, defeating 2002 salary cap cheating club Canterbury 23-12 after leading 23-0 at half time.
  • 4 June – The Thunderbolts snap an 8-game winless streak in the 2010 Toyota Cup season, with the reigning premiers defeating Parramatta.
  • Round 13 – In a spiteful rematch of the 2009 NRL Grand Final, future salary cap cheating club Parramatta defeat Melbourne 24-10 amidst tense scenes. Billy Slater was sin binned after retaliating to a Jarryd Hayne head-butt.[3]
  • 12 June – Ryan Tandy is given an immediate release by the club, with the forward immediately joining Canterbury for the remainder of the season.[3]
  • Round 14 – Missing a bunch of Queensland Origin players, and captained for the first and only time by Adam Blair, Melbourne are beaten by Sydney Roosters 38-6 to score the visitors first victory in Melbourne since 2004.[3]
  • Round 15 – A hat-trick to Justin O'Neill and doubles to Matt Duffie and Billy Slater help Melbourne raise plenty of money for charity in a 58-12 thrashing of North Queensland Cowboys.[3]
  • Round 16 – South Sydney Rabbitohs score their first victory over Melbourne since 2004, winning a close 16-14 contest in Perth.[3]
  • Round 18 – In the club's first game at the Adelaide Oval, and first game in South Australia since 2006, Melbourne go down 20-18 to Canterbury.[3]
  • 14 July – Big-name Melbourne players Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk are reported to have approached Storm officials offering to take pay cuts to help the club retain them and field a team under the National Rugby League salary cap in 2011.[3]
  • 15 July – The findings of the News Limited commissioned report by Deloitte into the salary cap breach are released by News Limited chairman and CEO John Hartigan.[3] In anticipation of the release of the report, News Limited sacks the club's independent board members, with acting-CEO Frank Stanton in charge of the club with the board now consisting of only News Limited executives.[5] See salary cap scandal section.
  • Round 19 – Melbourne suffer their third-straight defeat, the longest streak under Craig Bellamy, losing the Michael Moore Trophy to the Warriors 13-6 in Auckland.[3]
  • 19 July – Ryan Hoffman, Jeff Lima, and Brett Finch are all announced as leaving Melbourne at the end of the season, with all three players joining Wigan Warriors.[3]
  • 21 July – Ron Gauci is appointed as new club CEO, replacing acting-CEO Frank Stanton.
  • Round 20 – Storm snap their losing streak, ending a mid-season slump with a 18-10 win over Penrith Panthers.[3]
  • 10 August – Greg Inglis (Brisbane) and Brett White (Canberra) are confirmed as the latest departures from the club[3] as Melbourne submit their contract lists to the NRL for 2011. Inglis would later end up at South Sydney after his release from his Storm contract caused issues, with Brisbane eventually withdrawing their contract offer after Inglis failed to report to preseason training in November 2010.
  • Round 23 – Two tries to Ryan Hinchcliffe helped Melbourne to a 18-16 win over South Sydney, extending the Rabbitohs' winless streak in Victoria.[3]
  • 2 September – NRL CEO David Gallop belatedly visits Melbourne to speak to the Storm players for the first time since handing down the salary cap breach punishments. With the meeting described as "respectful."[3]
  • Round 26 – For its final match of the season, the club sold single tickets for $1 as a thank-you gesture to the club's supporters after what had been a difficult season.[6] Bidding farewell to a bunch of departing players, Melbourne score a comfortable 34-4 victory over Newcastle. Departing players Greg Inglis (2 tries), Ryan Hoffman, Brett White, and Aiden Tolman all scoring tries, with Jeff Lima scoring the first goal of his career.[3] Melbourne's final 14-10 win-loss record for the season would have seen them finish fifth on the NRL ladder if they were able to accrue points.
  • 6 October – Melbourne Storm assistant coach Stephen Kearney is appointed head coach of the Parramatta Eels.[3]
  • 18 October – NRL Judiciary chairman Greg Woods and panel members Royce Ayliffe and Darrell Williams settle their defamation action against Craig Bellamy and former Storm CEO Brian Waldron. The case came from comments made after the 2008 suspension of Cameron Smith during the finals. It is reported that Bellamy and Waldron would pay a total of $105,000 and meet legal costs in excess of $100,000.[3]
  • 30 November – The club announces the end of their reserve grade program in the NSW Cup, announcing new feeder club agreements. Reserve players will be sent to either Easts Tigers to play in the Queensland Cup, or to play in NSW Cup in a combined side with Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.[7]

Salary cap scandal[edit]

See also: Melbourne Storm salary cap breach

On 22 April 2010, the Melbourne Storm were stripped of their titles of 2007 and 2009 premierships and their 2006, 2007 and 2008 minor premierships following an alleged insider tip-off to the NRL auditing body that the club had not been complying with the NRL salary cap. The club had a long-term system of keeping two sets of books, one set displaying players incomes' complying with the NRL salary cap and another hidden set in a separate room disclosing the true player payments. Following evidence of salary cap breaches, Melbourne were also fined a record $1,689,000, deducted all eight premiership points received in the season and barred from receiving any further premiership points (including those for the two byes) for the rest of the season, guaranteeing them zero points and the wooden spoon for 2010.[8]

On 24 April coach Craig Bellamy publicly announced that he vowed to rebuild the shattered club, and welcomed the NRL's investigation into the salary cap rorting before a training session with the team which was watched by thousands of cheering supporters.[9]

Players were still allowed to play Test and/or State of Origin matches and for some of those players it did not affect Queensland's bid for a fifth straight Origin series victory. Later in the season the Storm were also stripped of the 2010 World Club Challenge title, and Cameron Smith was stripped of his Man of the Match award as well. The team's under-20s team was not affected.

Milestone games[edit]

Round Player Milestone
Round 1 Luke MacDougall Storm debut
Jesse Bromwich NRL debut
Rory Kostjasyn NRL debut
Round 2 Todd Lowrie Storm debut
100th NRL game
Round 3 Greg Inglis 100th game
Ryan Hinchcliffe 50th NRL game
Bryan Norrie Storm debut
Round 7 Matthew Duffie NRL debut
Gareth Widdop NRL debut
Round 12 Chase Stanley Storm debut
Round 13 Cooper Cronk 150th game
Round 14 Justin O'Neill NRL debut
Round 15 Brett Finch 250th NRL game
Round 21 Aiden Tolman 50th game
Sione Kite Storm debut
Round 24 Sika Manu 50th game
Round 26 Cameron Smith 1000 points

Attendance averages[edit]

Total Matches Average
Home 176,041 12 14,670
Away 168,109 12 14,009
All 344,150 24 14,340

Jerseys[edit]

Apparel supplier KooGa redesigned the home and clash jerseys for the 2010 season. The home jersey emphasised the club's purple colour, with the back of the jersey mostly purple for the first time. Two white lightning bolts featured on the front of the jersey, with navy blue side panels and shoulders. The home jersey was worn with navy blue shorts and socks.

The club's clash jersey was a similar to the home jersey but in white, with purple-coloured lightning bolts. The clash jersey was worn with purple shorts and white socks.

A one-off design was worn in the 2010 World Club Challenge match against Leeds Rhinos, with silver lightning bolts on a gradient-faded purple design on the front and back of the jersey.

Following the exposure of the salary cap breaches, major sponsors ME Bank and Hostplus removed their corporate logos from the jersey,[10][11] with other sponsors Jayco Australia and Suzuki hastily taking their places from round 7 onward.

Fixtures[edit]

Pre Season[edit]

Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
13 February Trial Brisbane Broncos Browne Park, Rockhampton Lost 12 24 L MacDougall, A Killingbeck G Widdop 2/2 [12][13][14]
20 February Trial Newcastle Knights St John Oval, Charlestown Lost 10 66 B Leslie, F Makimare D O'Regan 1/2 [15][16]
21 February UK Tour Harlequins RL The Stoop, London, England Won 34 10 D Nielsen (2), A Quinn, K Proctor, H Cahill, R Kostjasyn G Widdop 5/6 [2]
Main article: 2010 World Club Challenge
2010 World Club Challenge
28 February 2010
18:30 GMT (UTC+0)
Leeds Rhinos 10 – 18 Melbourne Storm
Tries: 1
McGuire rugby ball 48'
Goals: 3/3
Sinfield rugby goalposts icon pen 4' (1/1)
Burrow rugby goalposts icon pen 33', 49' (2/2)
 1st: 4 – 4
2nd: 6 – 14
Report
 Tries: 2
MacDougall rugby ball 51'
Quinn rugby ball 78'
Goals: 5/5
Smith rugby goalposts icon pen 7', pen 38', 52', pen 60', 79'
Elland Road, Leeds
Attendance: 27,697
Referee: Richard Silverwood England
Player of the Match: Cameron Smith
(Note: Later stripped due to Melbourne Storm's breach of the NRL's salary cap)

Regular season[edit]

Source:[17]

Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
13 March 1 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Toyota Stadium, Sydney Won 14 10 G Inglis, L MacDougall C Smith 3/3 [18]
20 March 2 Newcastle Knights Energy Australia Stadium, Newcastle Won 20 14 L MacDougall, A Quinn, D Nielsen C Smith 4/5 [19]
27 March 3 Penrith Panthers CUA Stadium, Sydney Won 16 10 B Finch, B Slater, L MacDougall C Smith 2/3 [20]
2 April 4 St George Illawarra Dragons Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Won 17 4 D Nielsen, A Quinn, B Slater C Smith 2/5 C Cronk [21]
9 April 5 Gold Coast Titans Skilled Park, Gold Coast Lost 16 20 A Quinn (3) C Smith 2/3 [22]
19 April 6 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Lost 16 18 C Cronk (2), B Norrie C Smith 2/3 [23]
25 April 7 New Zealand Warriors Etihad Stadium, Melbourne Won 40 6 M Duffie (2), C Smith, A Blair, R Tandy, W Isa, B Slater C Smith 6/7 [24]
1 May 8 North Queensland Cowboys Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Won 34 6 B Norrie, M Duffie, G Inglis, B Finch, D Nielsen, A Quinn, J Lima C Smith 3/6, G Inglis 0/1 [25]
9 May 9 Brisbane Broncos AAMI Park, Melbourne Lost 14 36 M Duffie (2), A Quinn G Inglis 1/2, C Cronk 0/1 [26]
15 May 10 Canberra Raiders Canberra Stadium, Canberra Won 17 6 G Inglis (3) G Inglis 2/2, C Cronk 0/1 B Finch [27]
22 May 11 Bye
30 May 12 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 23 12 D Nielsen, C Stanley, L MacDougall, G Widdop G Widdop 3/4 B Finch [28]
4 June 13 Parramatta Eels Parramatta Stadium, Sydney Lost 10 24 B Slater, G Inglis C Smith 1/2 [29]
14 June 14 Sydney Roosters AAMI Park, Melbourne Lost 6 38 R Kostjasyn C Stanley 1/1 [30]
19 June 15 North Queensland Cowboys AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 58 12 J O'Neill (3), M Duffie (2), B Slater (2), G Inglis, J Lima, C Cronk C Smith 5/6, G Inglis 3/3, B Finch 1/1 [31]
26 June 16 South Sydney Rabbitohs Members Equity Stadium, Perth Lost 14 16 J O'Neill (2), G Inglis C Smith 1/3 [32]
2 July 17 Bye
10 July 18 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Lost 18 20 B Finch, B Slater, S Manu C Smith 2/2, G Inglis 1/1 [33]
17 July 19 New Zealand Warriors Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Lost 6 13 B Slater C Smith [34]
24 July 20 Penrith Panthers AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 18 10 D Nielsen, J O'Neill, M Duffie C Smith 3/3 [35]
1 August 21 Canberra Raiders AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 36 12 D Nielsen (2), J O'Neill (2), G Inglis, B Slater, T Lowrie C Smith 4/5, G Inglis 0/1, A Tolman 0/1 [36]
7 August 22 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Brookvale Oval, Sydney Lost 6 26 R Hoffman C Smith 1/1 [37]
15 August 23 South Sydney Rabbitohs AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 18 16 R Hinchcliffe (2), B Slater C Smith 3/3 [38]
21 August 24 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 24 4 C Smith, D Nielsen, S Manu, R Hinchcliffe C Smith 4/4 [39]
29 August 25 Wests Tigers Leichhardt Oval, Sydney Lost 14 26 J O'Neill, W Isa, R Hoffman C Smith 1/3 [40]
5 September 26 Newcastle Knights AAMI Park, Melbourne Won 34 4 G Inglis (2), R Hinchcliffe, R Hoffman, B White, A Tolman C Smith 4/4, J Lima 1/1, R Hoffman 0/1 [41]

Ladder[edit]

Main article: 2010 NRL season
2010 NRL season
Pos. Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 St. George Illawarra Dragons (P) 24 17 0 7 2 518 299 +219 38
2 Penrith Panthers 24 15 0 9 2 645 489 +156 34
3 Wests Tigers 24 15 0 9 2 537 503 +34 34
4 Gold Coast Titans 24 15 0 9 2 520 498 +22 34
5 New Zealand Warriors 24 14 0 10 2 539 486 +53 32
6 Sydney Roosters 24 14 0 10 2 559 510 +49 32
7 Canberra Raiders 24 13 0 11 2 499 493 +6 30
8 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24 12 0 12 2 545 510 +35 28
9 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 11 0 13 2 584 567 +17 26
10 Brisbane Broncos 24 11 0 13 2 508 535 −27 26
11 Newcastle Knights 24 10 0 14 2 499 569 −70 24
12 Parramatta Eels 24 10 0 14 2 413 491 −78 24
13 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 9 0 15 2 494 539 −45 22
14 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 7 0 17 2 354 609 −255 18
15 North Queensland Cowboys 24 5 0 19 2 425 667 −242 14
16 Melbourne Storm 24 14 0 10 2 489 363 +126 01

1 Melbourne were deducted eight premiership points and barred from receiving premiership points for the rest of the season due to gross long-term salary cap breaches.[42]

2010 Coaching Staff[edit]

2010 squad[edit]

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm players
Cap [b] Nat. Player name Position First Storm Game Previous First Grade RL club [c]
55 Australia Cameron Smith (c) HK 2002 Australia Melbourne Storm
58 Australia Billy Slater FB 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
62 Australia Ryan Hoffman SR,LK 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
73 Australia Cooper Cronk HB 2004 Australia Melbourne Storm
76 Australia Brett White PR 2005 Australia Melbourne Storm
79 Australia Greg Inglis FE,CE, 2005 Australia Melbourne Storm
86 New Zealand Adam Blair SR,PR 2006 Australia Melbourne Storm
90 New Zealand Jeff Lima PR,LK 2006 Australia Wests Tigers
91 Australia Anthony Quinn WG,CE 2007 Australia Newcastle Knights
98 New Zealand Sika Manu SR 2007 Australia Melbourne Storm
102 Australia Aiden Tolman PR 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
104 Australia Dane Nielsen WG,CE 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
105 New Zealand Kevin Proctor SR 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
109 Tonga Sinbad Kali SR, LK 2008 Australia Melbourne Storm
110 Australia Ryan Hinchcliffe HK,LK 2009 Australia Canberra Raiders
111 Samoa Willie Isa WG,CE 2009 Australia Penrith Panthers
115 Australia Brett Finch HB, FE 2009 Australia Parramatta Eels
116 Australia Luke Kelly FE,HB 2009 Australia Melbourne Storm
117 New Zealand Hep Cahill LK, SR 2009 Australia Melbourne Storm
118 Republic of Ireland Ryan Tandy PR,SR 2009 Australia Wests Tigers
119 New Zealand Jesse Bromwich PR 2010 Australia Melbourne Storm
120 Republic of Ireland Rory Kostjasyn HK,LK 2010 Australia Melbourne Storm
121 Australia Todd Lowrie SR,LK 2010 Australia Newcastle Knights
122 Australia Luke MacDougall WG 2010 Australia Newcastle Knights
123 Australia Bryan Norrie PR 2010 Australia Cronulla Sharks
124 New Zealand Matt Duffie WG 2010 Australia Melbourne Storm
125 England Gareth Widdop FE,FB 2010 Australia Melbourne Storm
126 New Zealand Chase Stanley CE 2010 Australia St George Illawarra Dragons
127 Vanuatu Justin O'Neill CE 2010 Australia Melbourne Storm
128 Australia Robbie Rochow SR 2010 Australia Melbourne Storm
129 Tonga Sione Kite PR 2010 Australia Canterbury Bulldogs
New Zealand Louis Fanene CE Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
New Zealand Slade Griffen HK Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
Australia Andrew Brown HB, FE Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
France Dane Chisholm FE, CE Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
Cook Islands Fred Makimare PR Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
Samoa Kirisome Auva'a CE Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
Tonga Atelea Vea SR Yet to Debut Australia Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Player movements[edit]

Representative honours[edit]

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2010.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm representatives
Player 2010 All Stars match 2010 ANZAC Test City vs Country Origin State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 2010 Four Nations Other Internationals
Adam Blair NRL All Stars New Zealand — — — — New Zealand —
Cooper Cronk — Australia — Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia —
Brett Finch NRL All Stars — — — — — — —
Ryan Hoffman — — City — — — — —
Greg Inglis — Australia — Queensland Queensland Queensland — —
Willie Isa — — — — — — — Samoa
Sika Manu — New Zealand — — — — New Zealand —
Justin O'Neill — — — — — — — Junior Kangaroos
Kevin Proctor — — — — — — — Māori
Billy Slater — Australia — Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia —
Cameron Smith NRL All Stars Australia — — Queensland Queensland Australia —
Brett White — — Country New South Wales New South Wales — Australia —
Gareth Widdop — — — — — — England England[e]

Statistics[edit]

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2010 NRL season.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm records
Name Appearances Tries Goals Field goals Points
Adam Blair 22 1 0 0 4
Jesse Bromwich 7 0 0 0 0
Hep Cahill 5 0 0 0 0
Cooper Cronk 21 3 0 1 13
Matthew Duffie 14 8 0 0 32
Brett Finch 21 3 1 2 16
Ryan Hinchcliffe 23 4 0 0 16
Ryan Hoffman 16 3 0 0 12
Greg Inglis 20 11 7 0 58
Willie Isa 3 2 0 0 8
Luke Kelly 4 0 0 0 0
Sione Kite 2 0 0 0 0
Rory Kostjasyn 6 1 0 0 4
Jeff Lima 20 2 1 0 10
Todd Lowrie 22 1 0 0 4
Luke MacDougall 10 4 0 0 16
Sika Manu 14 2 0 0 8
Dane Nielsen 21 8 0 0 32
Bryan Norrie 21 2 0 0 8
Justin O'Neill 9 9 0 0 36
Kevin Proctor 22 0 0 0 0
Anthony Quinn 9 7 0 0 28
Robbie Rochow 1 0 0 0 0
Billy Slater 22 10 0 0 40
Cameron Smith 20 2 54 0 116
Chase Stanley 7 1 1 0 6
Ryan Tandy 10 1 0 0 4
Aiden Tolman 19 1 0 0 4
Brett White 14 1 0 0 4
Gareth Widdop 3 1 3 0 10
30 players used – 88 67 3 489

Scorers[edit]

Most points in a game: 16 points

  • Round 7 – Cameron Smith (1 try, 6 goals) vs New Zealand Warriors
  • Round 10 – Greg Inglis (3 tries, 2 goals) vs Canberra Raiders

Most tries in a game: 3

  • Round 5 – Anthony Quinn vs Gold Coast Titans
  • Round 10 – Greg Inglis vs Canberra Raiders
  • Round 15 – Justin O'Neill vs North Queensland Cowboys

Winning games[edit]

Highest score in a winning game: 58 points

  • Round 15 vs North Queensland Cowboys

Lowest score in a winning game: 14 points

  • Round 1 vs Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks

Greatest winning margin: 46 points

  • Round 15 vs North Queensland Cowboys

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 4

  • Round 1 – Round 4

Losing games[edit]

Highest score in a losing game: 18 points

  • Round 18 vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points

  • Round 14 vs Sydney Roosters
  • Round 19 vs New Zealand Warriors
  • Round 22 vs Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Greatest losing margin: 32 points

  • Round 14 vs Sydney Roosters

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 3

  • Round 16 – Round 19

Reserve grade[edit]

For the first time in club history, a reserve grade team played as Melbourne Storm, with the club entering a team into the New South Wales Cup competition.[46] Coached by former Canberra Raiders 2008 Toyota Cup winning coach, Tony Adam, Melbourne finished in seventh position on the ladder (out of 12 teams) qualifying for the finals series. They were eliminated by Balmain Ryde-Eastwood Tigers in the first week of the finals, defeated 48-18.[47] This was the only season that Melbourne fielded a reserve grade team under their own brand.

Main article: 2010 New South Wales Cup
2010 New South Wales Cup[48]
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
7 Melbourne Storm 25 11 0 14 627 727 -100 22

NRL Under 20s[edit]

Main article: 2010 NRL Under-20s season

In the third season of the NRL's National Youth Championship, Dean Pay replaced Brad Arthur as coach, with Melbourne finishing the regular season in 13th place on the ladder.

Ladder[edit]

National Youth Competition season 2010
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 17 0 7 2 687 567 +120 38
2 New Zealand Warriors (P) 24 16 1 7 2 731 481 +250 37
3 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 15 2 7 2 773 596 +177 36
4 North Queensland Cowboys 24 14 3 7 2 673 540 +133 35
5 Sydney Roosters 24 14 1 9 2 695 588 +107 33
6 Canberra Raiders 24 14 1 9 2 764 734 +30 33
7 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24 13 0 11 2 568 583 -15 30
8 Gold Coast Titans 24 12 1 11 2 581 663 -82 29
9 Wests Tigers 24 12 0 12 2 620 532 +88 28
10 Brisbane Broncos 24 11 1 12 2 690 635 +55 27
11 St. George Illawarra Dragons 24 10 1 13 2 568 543 +25 25
12 Newcastle Knights 24 9 1 14 2 612 732 -120 23
13 Melbourne Storm 24 8 2 14 2 683 782 -99 22
14 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 8 1 15 2 492 634 -142 21
15 Penrith Panthers 24 8 0 16 2 643 838 -195 20
16 Parramatta Eels 24 3 1 20 2 454 786 -332 11

Statistics[edit]

Source:[49]

Scorers[edit]

Most points in a game: 18 points

  • Round 20 – Josh Jerome (1 try, 7 goals) vs Penrith Panthers
  • Round 23 – Josh Jerome (1 try, 7 goals) vs South Sydney Rabbitohs

Most tries in a game: 3

  • Round 2 – Blake Leary vs Newcastle Knights
  • Round 2 – Justin O'Neill vs Newcastle Knights
  • Round 18 – Mahe Fonua vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Most points (season): 180

  • Josh Jerome (9 tries, 72 goals)

Most tries (season): 12

  • Eddie Fa'amausili
  • Blake Leary

S. G. Ball Cup[edit]

For the second consecutive season, Melbourne entered a junior representative team in the New South Wales Rugby League under-18s competition S. G. Ball Cup. Melbourne would play most of their home games at their training venue Princes Park in Carlton.

Coached by club high performance manager Kim Williams, the team would again make the finals, finishing the regular season in sixth position on the ladder with seven wins from nine matches. Melbourne would lose an elimination final against third-placed Parramatta 70–12 to end their season.[50]

Awards[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Home games only
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Subsequently contracted by Northern Pride.
  5. ^ Widdop made his international debut for England in a test match against France in June 2010.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "History Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Storm sweep away Quins". skysports.com. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Middleton, David. 2010 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines.
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  18. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 1". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  19. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 2". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  20. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 3". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  21. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 4". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  22. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 5". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  23. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 6". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  24. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 7". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  25. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 8". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  26. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 9". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  27. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 10". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  28. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 12". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  29. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 13". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  30. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 14". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  31. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 15". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
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  34. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 19". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  35. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 20". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
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  37. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 22". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  38. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 23". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  39. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 24". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  40. ^ "NRL 2010 - Round 25". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
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  42. ^ Stuart Honeysett and Brent Read (23 April 2010) Shocking end to the Melbourne Storm era The Australian
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