1998 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank3rd
Play-off resultSemi-final Loss
1998 recordWins: 17; draws: 1; losses: 6
Points scoredFor: 546; against: 372
Team information
ChairmanJohn Ribot
CoachChris Anderson
Captain
StadiumOlympic Park
Avg. attendance12,716
High attendance20,522 (Round 4)
Top scorers
TriesScott Hill & Marcus Bai (14)
GoalsCraig Smith (51)
PointsCraig Smith (110)
List of seasons 1999 >

The 1998 Melbourne Storm season was the first in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's inaugural Premiership and their first season was a major surprise to many, with the new team reaching the top of the ladder in Round 15 and finishing the regular season in 3rd place, only one win behind minor premiers Brisbane. Adopting coach Chris Anderson's new "flat-line" attack, the big Storm forwards laid a platform for their young halves Scott Hill and Brett Kimmorley to wreak havoc on opposing teams. Melbourne's front-rowers Glenn Lazarus, Robbie Kearns and Rodney Howe were all selected to play for New South Wales in the 1998 State of Origin series. A late season injury to captain Lazarus combined with a lack of Finals experience saw the Storm knocked out in the play-offs. The club though had proven they were to be taken seriously, and they had easily produced the best debut season of any new team in the game's history.[1]

Season summary

  • Pre season – Bookmakers install Melbourne as the $2.50 favourite to win the inaugural NRL wooden spoon. On 7 February wearing white jerseys, Melbourne win their first trial match against Adelaide Rams in Hobart in front of 2,500 fans.[2] Brett Kimmorley scored the first try in club colours.[3]
  • 12 February – At the club's season launch, John Ribot reveals the official uniform of navy blue jerseys with a stylised white and purple chevron design, worn with navy blue shorts and socks.[4]
  • Round 1 – Melbourne upset Illawarra Steelers to record their inaugural premiership victory, with Scott Hill scoring the club's first tries. Storm are only the fourth non-foundation team to win on debut, and only the second to win away from home.[2]
  • Round 4 – A record crowd of 20,522 watch unbeaten Melbourne play their first home game at Olympic Park, with chaotic scenes outside the ground, fans are allowed to sit on the running track after half time.
  • Round 5 – Auckland Warriors inflict the Storm's first defeat of the season.
  • Round 11 – Melbourne and Illawarra Steelers play out a 14-all draw, with referee Paul Simpkins dropped after a number of errors in the game.[2]
  • Round 12 – Melbourne record the biggest win by a debut team in premiership history, thrashing Gold Coast Chargers 62–6 in that club's heaviest defeat in their history.
  • Round 13 – Brett Kimmorley kicks the club's first field goal, in a 25–16 win over Balmain Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.
  • Round 15 – After defeating North Queensland Cowboys, Melbourne finish the weekend on top of the NRL ladder for the first time.[3]
  • 26 June – Rodney Howe is revealed as the third NRL player in 1998 to test positive to a banned substance.[2][5]
  • Round 16 – A controversial try after the final siren to Tony Tatupu hands the Auckland Warriors a 24–21 victory at Olympic Park.
  • Round 17 – Brisbane Broncos defeat Melbourne 34–16 in front of a crowd of 35,119, the highest attendance to watch Melbourne, and the second highest crowd in the 1998 regular season.
  • 9 July – Rodney Howe is suspended for 22 matches by the ARL drugs tribunal for taking performance-enhancing drugs. Howe was accused of taking the anabolic steroid stanozolol to aid the recovery of a knee injury.[2]
  • Round 20 – Marcus Bai scores the first hat-trick in club history in a win against 1997 ARL Premiers Newcastle Knights, to cement a top four spot on the NRL ladder.
  • Round 23 – In diabolical weather conditions, with the Belmore Sports Ground field resembling a swimming pool, Melbourne are almost held scoreless for the first time, with a late try to stand-in captain Tawera Nikau the only points for the Storm.
  • Round 24 – Melbourne secure a home final by finishing third on the NRL ladder, ending the regular season with a 16–12 win over Canberra Raiders.
  • 27 August – Chris Anderson wins the Dally M Coach of the Year award, with Marcus Bai (wing) and Tawera Nikau (lock) making the Team of the Year.
  • Preliminary qualifying final – Without captain Glenn Lazarus due to injury, a second half masterclass from Brad Fittler hands Melbourne a 12–26 loss in their NRL finals debut.[5] Before the game, Melbourne announce their first ever jersey sponsorship deal with the Honda logo appearing on player's sleeves.
  • Elimination quarter final – Melbourne win their first finals game, defeating Canberra Raiders 24–10 to advance to the third week of the five-week finals series.[5]
  • Elimination semi final – Eventual premiers Brisbane Broncos knock Melbourne out of the 1998 NRL finals, in a game played at the Sydney Football Stadium. Melbourne putting in their worst performance of the season[5]
  • 19 September – Storm feeder team Norths Devils win the 1998 Queensland Cup Grand Final, featuring a number of players who played for Melbourne in 1998.

Milestone games

RoundPlayerMilestone
Round 1See inaugural teamStorm debuts
Ben RoartyNRL debut
Round 2Robbie Ross50th game
Matt GeyerStorm debut
Round 4Wayne EvansStorm debut
Ben AndersonNRL debut
Round 7Tony MartinStorm debut
Round 13Anthony BonusStorm debut
Wade FentonNRL debut
Round 14John WilshereStorm debut
Round 15Daniel FrameNRL debut
Round 16Matt RuaNRL debut
Round 19Chris Anderson200th NRL game coached
Round 20Tristan Brady-SmithStorm debut
Preliminary qualifying finalPaul Marquet150th game

Jerseys

1998 home jersey

Melbourne's inaugural jerseys were navy blue jerseys with a stylised white and purple chevron design, with gold trim and collars, worn with navy blue shorts and socks. Until late in the season, there were no advertising logos, except that of manufacturer Nike. Unusually, Melbourne carried on the Super League innovation of having player names on the back of jerseys, ostensibly to assist new fans to identify players. The team wore the predominately blue jerseys in every game in 1998, except for the round 15 game against North Queensland Cowboys, when a predominately white jersey was worn with white shorts and socks.

Fixtures

Pre season

Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
7 FebruaryTrial Adelaide RamsNorth Hobart Oval, HobartWon2622J Wilshere (2), T Brady-Smith, B Kimmorley, M BaiM Geyer 3/5[6][4][7][8][9]
28 FebruaryTrial Canberra RaidersLavington Sports Ground, AlburyLost1634S Hill, R Swain, P MarquetM Geyer 2/3

Regular season

Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
14 March1 Illawarra SteelersWIN Stadium, WollongongWon1412S Hill (2)C Smith 3/3[10]
22 March2 Western Suburbs MagpiesCampbelltown Stadium, SydneyWon2616M Bai, P Bell, R Kearns, R Ross, D WilliamsC Smith 3/8[11]
28 March3 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksShark Park, SydneyWon2618R Bawden (2), M Bai, S Hill, R SwainC Smith 3/5[12]
3 April4 North Sydney BearsOlympic Park, MelbourneWon2416M Bai, S Hill, P Marquet, C SmithC Smith 4/5[13]
10 April5 Auckland WarriorsEricsson Stadium, AucklandLost1216M Bai, P BellC Smith 2/2[14]
19 April6 Parramatta EelsParramatta Stadium, SydneyWon3222M Bai, J Carlaw, R Howe, B Kimmorley, T Nikau, R RossC Smith 4/6[15]
25 April7 Penrith PanthersOlympic Park, MelbourneWon2214J Carlaw (2), P Bell, R KearnsC Smith 3/6[16]
1 May8 Western Suburbs MagpiesOlympic Park, MelbourneWon5416R Ross (2), R Bawden, J Carlaw, S Hill, R Kearns, P Marquet, B Roarty, D WilliamsC Smith 9/10[17]
8 May9 St George DragonsOlympic Park, MelbourneLost1418R Bawden, D WilliamsC Smith 3/4[18]
15 May10 South Sydney RabbitohsSydney Football Stadium, SydneyWon146P Bell, A MouleC Smith 3/3[19]
24 May11 Illawarra SteelersOlympic Park, MelbourneDraw1414G Lazarus, R RossC Smith 3/3[20]
31 May12 Gold Coast ChargersOlympic Park, MelbourneWon626S Hill (2), R Ross (2), M Bai, R Bawden, B Kimmorley, P Marquet, T Martin, T Nikau, D WilliamsT Martin 6/8, B Kimmorley 2/3[21]
7 June13 Balmain TigersLeichhardt Oval, SydneyWon2516R Bawden (2), A Moule, B RoartyB Kimmorley 2/4, T Martin 2/2B Kimmorley[22]
13 June14 Adelaide RamsOlympic Park, MelbourneWon244S Hill (2), M Bai, B RoartyJ Wilshere 3/4, B Kimmorley 1/1[23]
20 June15 North Queensland CowboysMalanda Stadium, TownsvilleWon108R BawdenC Smith 3/4[24]
27 June16 Auckland WarriorsOlympic Park, MelbourneLost2124S Hill, T Martin, T Nikau, R RossC Smith 2/5B Kimmorley[25]
3 July17 Brisbane BroncosANZ Stadium, BrisbaneLost1634M Bai, B Kimmorley, R RossC Smith 2/3[26]
10 July18 Manly Warringah Sea EaglesOlympic Park, MelbourneWon2212P Bell, W Evans, T Martin, C SmithC Smith 2/2, B Kimmorley 1/2[27]
17 July19 North Sydney BearsNorth Sydney Oval, SydneyLost1034J Carlaw, R SwainB Kimmorley 1/2[28]
24 July20 Newcastle KnightsOlympic Park, MelbourneWon3216M Bai (3), S Hill, B Kimmorley, R SwainB Kimmorley 4/7[29]
2 August21 Sydney City RoostersSydney Football Stadium, SydneyWon3220P Bell, T Brady-Smith, J Carlaw, S Hill, R Kearns, P MarquetB Kimmorley 4/6[30]
7 August22 Cronulla-Sutherland SharksOlympic Park, MelbourneWon2010D Williams (2), M Bai, P BellB Kimmorley 2/4[31]
14 August23 Canterbury-Bankstown BulldogsBelmore Sports Ground, SydneyLost48T NikauT Martin 0/1[32]
21 August24 Canberra RaidersOlympic Park, MelbourneWon1612S Hill, B Kimmorley, T MartinB Kimmorley 2/3[33]

Source:[34]

Finals

Preliminary qualifying final
Sunday, 30 August
15:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm 12 – 26 Sydney City Roosters
Tries: 2
Bai rugby ball
Marquet rugby ball
Goals: 2
Smith rugby goalposts icon (2/3)
1st: 4–10
2nd: 8–16
Report
Tries: 4
Barnett rugby ball
Elsegood rugby ball
Fittler rugby ball
Gourley rugby ball
Goals: 5
Cleary rugby goalposts icon (5/6)
Olympic Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 18,247
Referee: Paul McBlane

Elimination quarter final
Saturday, 5 September
15:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm 24 – 10 Canberra Raiders
Tries: 5
Martin rugby ball 24', 74'
Geyer rugby ball 2'
Hill rugby ball 17'
Bai rugby ball 35'
Goals: 2
Kimmorley rugby goalposts icon pen 5', 17' (2/6)
1st: 20–0
2nd: 4–10
Report
Tries: 2
Mullins rugby ball 56'
Stuart rugby ball 76'
Goals: 1
Furner rugby goalposts icon 57' (1/1)
McNamara (0/1)
Olympic Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 12,592
Referee: Steve Clark

Elimination semi final
Sunday, 13 September
15:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Brisbane Broncos 30 – 6 Melbourne Storm
Tries: 6
Renouf rugby ballrugby ball
Campion rugby ball
Carroll rugby ball
Lee rugby ball
Lockyer rugby ball
Goals: 3
Lockyer rugby goalposts icon (3/6)
1st: 10–2
2nd: 20–4
Report
Tries: 1
Geyer rugby ball
Goals: 1
Kimmorley rugby goalposts icon (1/2)
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 20,354
Referee: Bill Harrigan

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Brisbane Broncos (P) 241815688310+37837
2 Newcastle Knights 241815562381+18137
3 Melbourne Storm 241716546372+17435
4 Parramatta Eels 241716468349+11935
5 North Sydney Bears 241707663367+29634
6 Sydney City Roosters 241608680383+29732
7 Canberra Raiders 241509564429+13530
8 St. George Dragons 2413110486490-427
9 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2413011489411+7826
10 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 2413011503473+3026
11 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 2412111438387+5125
12 Illawarra Steelers 2411112476539-6323
13 Balmain Tigers 249114381463-8219
14 Penrith Panthers 248214525580-5518
15 Auckland Warriors 249015417518-10118
16 North Queensland Cowboys 249015361556-19518
17 Adelaide Rams 247017393615-22214
18 South Sydney Rabbitohs 245019339560-22110
19 Gold Coast Chargers 244020289654-3658
20 Western Suburbs Magpies 244020371802-4318

1998 Coaching Staff

1998 squad

List current as of 21 July 2021[35]

Cap[lower-alpha 1] Nat. Player name Position First Storm Game Previous First Grade RL club[lower-alpha 2]
1 Australia Robbie Ross FB 1998 Australia Hunter Mariners
2 Australia Craig Smith WG 1998 Australia Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs[lower-alpha 3]
3 Australia Aaron Moule WG, CE 1998 Australia South Queensland Crushers
4 Australia Paul Bell CE 1998 Australia Perth Reds
5 Papua New Guinea Marcus Bai WG 1998 Australia Gold Coast Chargers
6 Australia Scott Hill FE 1998 Australia Hunter Mariners
7 Australia Brett Kimmorley HB 1998 Australia Hunter Mariners
8 Australia Rodney Howe PR 1998 Australia Perth Reds
9 Australia Danny Williams LK, SR, HK 1998 Australia North Sydney Bears
10 Australia Robbie Kearns PR 1998 Australia Perth Reds
11 Australia Paul Marquet PR, SR 1998 Australia Hunter Mariners
12 Australia Ben Roarty PR, SR, LK 1998 Australia Melbourne Storm[lower-alpha 4]
13 New Zealand Tawera Nikau LK 1998 Australia Cronulla Sharks
14 Australia Glenn Lazarus PR 1998 Australia Brisbane Broncos
15 New Zealand Richard Swain HK 1998 Australia Hunter Mariners
16 Australia Russell Bawden PR 1998 England London Broncos
17 Australia John Carlaw CE 1998 Australia Hunter Mariners
18 Australia Matt Geyer WG 1998 Australia Perth Reds
19 Australia Wayne Evans SR 1998 Australia Perth Reds
20 Australia Ben Anderson FE 1998 Australia Melbourne Storm[lower-alpha 5]
21 Australia Tony Martin WG, CE 1998 England London Broncos
22 Australia Anthony Bonus PR 1998 Australia Parramatta Eels[lower-alpha 6]
23 Australia Wade Fenton SR, PR 1998 Australia Melbourne Storm
24 Papua New Guinea John Wilshere CE 1998 Australia Perth Reds
25 Australia Daniel Frame PR, SR 1998 Australia Melbourne Storm[lower-alpha 7]
26 New Zealand Matt Rua PR, SR 1998 Australia Melbourne Storm[lower-alpha 8]
27 Australia Tristan Brady-Smith WG 1998 Australia Perth Reds
Australia Ryan Baker SR Yet to debut [lower-alpha 9]
Australia Ryan Gundry PR Yet to debut [lower-alpha 10]
New Zealand Chris McCausland FE Yet to debut [lower-alpha 10]
Tonga David Palavi HK Yet to debut [lower-alpha 11]

Inaugural Team

The first Melbourne Storm team to take to the field in Round 1 of the 1998 NRL season[36]

Melbourne Storm
Inaugural Team Interchange Coach

Head coach



Legend:
  • (c) Captain(s)
  • (vc) Vice-captain(s)

Updated: 23 July 2020
Source(s): NRL 1998 Round 1

Representative honours

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 1998.

Player1998 ANZAC TestState of Origin 1State of Origin 2State of Origin 3October Test Matches
Rodney HoweAustraliaNew South WalesNew South Wales
Robbie KearnsNew South WalesAustralia
Glenn LazarusAustraliaNew South WalesNew South Wales

Statistics

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 1998 NRL season.

NameAppearancesTriesGoalsField goalsPoints
Ben Anderson40000
Marcus Bai27140056
Russell Bawden2780032
Paul Bell2570028
Anthony Bonus10000
Tristan Brady-Smith31004
John Carlaw2460024
Wayne Evans171004
Wade Fenton20000
Daniel Frame70000
Matt Geyer112008
Scott Hill26141058
Rodney Howe121004
Robbie Kearns2640016
Brett Kimmorley27522266
Glenn Lazarus181004
Paul Marquet2750020
Tony Martin2168040
Aaron Moule82008
Tawera Nikau2740016
Ben Roarty2530012
Robbie Ross2190036
Matt Rua60000
Craig Smith172510110
Richard Swain2530012
Danny Williams2060024
John Wilshere10306
27 players used104852588

Scorers

Most points in a game: 18 points

  • Round 4 – Craig Smith (9 Goals) vs Western Suburbs Magpies

Most tries in a game: 3

  • Round 20 – Marcus Bai vs Newcastle Knights

Winning games

Highest score in a winning game: 62 points

  • Round 12 vs Gold Coast Chargers

Lowest score in a winning game: 10 points

  • Round 15 vs North Queensland Cowboys

Greatest winning margin: 54 points

  • Round 12 vs Gold Coast Chargers

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 4

  • Round 1 – Round 4
  • Round 12 – Round 15

Losing games

Highest score in a losing game: 21 points

  • Round 16 vs Auckland Warriors

Lowest score in a losing game: 4 points

  • Round 23 vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Greatest losing margin: 24 points

  • Round 19 vs North Sydney Bears
  • Elimination Preliminary Final vs Brisbane Broncos

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 2

  • Round 16 – Round 17

Feeder team

Upon entry to the NRL, Melbourne Storm signed an affiliation agreement with Queensland Cup team Norths Devils to act as a feeder club and to provide Melbourne players who were not selected to play first grade a match each weekend. Players would fly to Brisbane each week after training in Melbourne to play Queensland Cup. The arrangement bore immediate results as the side coached by Mark Murray won the minor premiership. Featuring a number of players who had played for Melbourne in 1998, Norths Devils would go on to win the 1998 Queensland Cup Grand Final 35–18 against Wests Panthers.

1998 Queensland Cup
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1 Norths Devils (P) 221615872394+47833

Awards and honours

Notes

  1. 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.
  2. 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. Reserve grade 1997, previous first grade experience with North Sydney Bears in 1994
  4. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs reserve grade 1997
  5. Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs juniors 1997
  6. Released end of 1996 ARL season
  7. Woy Woy Roosters
  8. Manly Warringah Sea Eagles reserve grade 1997
  9. Perth junior, played for Australian Schoolboys rugby league team in 1997
  10. 1 2 Perth Reds junior in 1997
  11. Canberra Raiders junior, former Australian Schoolboys rugby union team player

References

  1. "Melbourne Storm History". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Middleton, David (October 1998). Rugby League 1999. Sydney: Harper Sports. ISBN 0732267773.
  3. 1 2 2002 Melbourne Storm Info Guide. Melbourne Storm. p. 112.
  4. 1 2 "Melbourne Storm – How we got here". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 October 1999. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Prichard, Greg. "That Hollow Feeling". Big League. Vol. 79, no. 31. Sydney, New South Wales: Pacific Publications Pty Ltd. pp. 62–64.
  6. "1998 NRL Country Carnival Results". rleague.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2000. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  7. "Storm roars off to claim its first win". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria. 8 February 1998. p. 8.
  8. "Storm off on right foot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales: Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. 8 February 1998. p. 85.
  9. Crawley, Paul (1 March 1998). "Raiders, Broncos take the honours". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales: Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. p. 95.
  10. "NRL 1998 – Round 1". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  11. "NRL 1998 – Round 2". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  12. "NRL 1998 – Round 3". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  13. "NRL 1998 – Round 4". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  14. "NRL 1998 – Round 5". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  15. "NRL 1998 – Round 6". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  16. "NRL 1998 – Round 7". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  17. "NRL 1998 – Round 8". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  18. "NRL 1998 – Round 9". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  19. "NRL 1998 – Round 10". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  20. "NRL 1998 – Round 11". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  21. "NRL 1998 – Round 12". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  22. "NRL 1998 – Round 13". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  23. "NRL 1998 – Round 14". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  24. "NRL 1998 – Round 15". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  25. "NRL 1998 – Round 16". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  26. "NRL 1998 – Round 17". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  27. "NRL 1998 – Round 18". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  28. "NRL 1998 – Round 19". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  29. "NRL 1998 – Round 20". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  30. "NRL 1998 – Round 21". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  31. "NRL 1998 – Round 22". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  32. "NRL 1998 – Round 23". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  33. "NRL 1998 – Round 23". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  34. "Rugby League Tables – Melbourne". Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  35. "Storm players (1998)". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 28 January 1999. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  36. "NRL 1998 Round 1". Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  37. "1998 Melbourne Point Scorers". afltables.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  38. "Melbourne Storm – NRL 1998". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  39. "NRL Honour Board". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
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