Melbourne Storm

The Melbourne Storm are a professional rugby league team from Melbourne. The Stormers currently play in the popular Australian National Rugby League ( NRL) and there are the most successful team. Due to a 2010 breach found against the salary cap the league, the club was sanctioned hard. Among other things, the NRL Championships seasons were withdrawn in 2007 and 2009.

• 2.1 Championships
• 2.2 World Club Challenges
• 2.3 Season Stats

History

The 1990

In 1994, the annual rugby league match between the teams selection of the best players from Queensland and New South Wales was held in Melbourne. About 87,000 people came together at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and bestowed the prestigious duel a record crowd. Since there has been no Rugby League Club in Melbourne, gave the then National Professional League Australian Rugby League team from Melbourne decided ( ARL) record. In addition to the ARL, there was News Limited, the Australian arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which gained influence in the Australian Rugby League and Sports also was interested in a team of Melbourne. Between these two groups there were clashes for supremacy in Australian rugby league sport, which resulted in the 1996 establishment of the Super League ( SL) by News Corporation and commonly became known as Super League War.

Between News Corporation and ARL 1994 and 1995 there was a competition for the creation of a club in Melbourne, but there was no agreement with the State of Victoria and the Regional Rugby League Rugby League Association of Victoria. 1997 SL contributed from their first season, parallel to the ARL.

In March 1997 the ARL announced in the 1998 would a club from Melbourne to attend. Two months later the SL made ​​a declaration to that, so it seemed a short time, as if two clubs are based in Melbourne. End of July 1997 had to admit the ARL that an association was founded before 1999 was not financially feasible, and finally the ARL moved completely from the foundation plans from. That same year, SL and ARL agreed on the merger of the two leagues for the joint National Rugby League ( NRL). It got 1997 on the establishment of the Melbourne Storm under the leadership of John Ribot, the former head of the SL and Chris Johns, who came from the leadership of the Brisbane Broncos. Both were the first CEOs of the Stormers. The club was founded mainly financed by News Limited, which was also the 100% owner.

As early as 1998, in the first season of the NRL, the Melbourne Storm went together with 19 other teams at the start. The establishment of the Stormers in the Australian rugby league sport was also supported by the largest Australian newspaper The Herald Sun, which is also part of News Limited. Sporty was the first season very successful. The first four games were all won the club's history and the Stormers even reached the final round, where they. Against eventual champion excreting Brisbane Broncos 1999, the team could finish the league on table number three, and thus once again move into the final round. Here the Stormers put through to the Grand Final where they defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons 20-18 with and thus won the Winfield Cup two years after the club was founded.

The 2000

Following the first championship in club history, the Stormers met in the World Club Challenge 2000 at St. Helens, the master of the European Super League and crowned their excellent season with a win. The 2000 season started with four defeats in a row, yet the Stormers could qualify end up being in sixth again for the final round, but where they already adopted in the quarterfinals. The following two seasons it ran athletic not round. In 2001, the team failed to qualify for the final round of the ninth in the table. During the season, a coaching change was made: Mark Murray replaced Chris Anderson. But the team also missed the 2002 final round 10 to place in the table after this disappointing season was replaced by Craig Bellamy, who previously worked as an Assistant coach Wayne Bennett at the Brisbane Broncos coach Anderson. CEO Chris Johns also left the club.

In the seasons 2003, 2004 and 2005, the Stormers never could each reach the final round, but the Grand Final. In November 2004, Brian Waldron new CEO of the Melbourne Storm. 2006 found the Stormers strength to strength and put on a new club record when they won 11 games in a row. The season they finished for the first time in club history as the first table and were thus the Minor Premiers. After they were able to win the following two final round matches, they stood for the second time in the Grand Final. Opponents were the Brisbane Broncos, who decided the game with 15-8 for themselves. The final was followed in Melbourne by over 900,000 viewers. After the game there was excitement because of dubious refereeing decisions in favor of the Broncos.

2007 played the Stormers similarly dominant as in 2006 and were able to enjoy again on the Minor Premiership. In the first game of the final round it came to the new edition of the Grand Final in 2006, but this time the Stormers won with 40-0 and thus subjected to the semi-finals. There they met the Parramatta Eels, who were also defeated. The Melbourne Storm reached the third time the NRL Grand Final. Final opponents Manly - Warringah in 2007 were the Sea Eagles The match ends 34-8 for the Stormers, which is now celebrated their second title after the final defeat of 2006. In 2008, the dominance of the Stormers was unbroken. Again she occupied table number one and qualified as last year for the Grand Final, where there was a new edition to the Sea Eagles. The Storm team to the new captain Cameron Smith was not in the last game of the season but to his power and lost the final clear with 40-0.

The 2009 season was compared with previous years, on average and at the end of the season were the Stormers in fourth. In the final round still get victories against the Sea Eagles and the Broncos, coming in the team for the fourth time in a row the Grand Final and NRL, setting a record. In the final against the Parramatta Eels, the Stormers were able to prevail with 23-16 and won their third championship. Due to the successes between 2006 and 2009, the Melbourne Storm were crowned NRL team of the decade.

The 2010

At the start of the 2010 season, the Stormers have won the World Club Challenge against Leeds Rhinos with the English 18-10. In the first three home games of the season, which were the last in the Olympic Park Stadium at the same time there were also three wins. In January 2010, there was a change of leadership as CEO Brian Waldron moved to the Melbourne Rebels and was replaced by Matt Hanson.

In April 2010, the club admitted publicly to have systematically violated in the last five years against the salary cap in the NRL. Since the end of 2009, there were to investigate this by the NRL. The extent of the finding made ​​him the biggest scandal in the history of the NRL. The Melbourne Storm had since the 2006 season, a total of AU spent $ 1.7 million more for their players than would have been allowed. The former club management had this systematically obscured by a double-entry bookkeeping before the NRL.

Even during the 2010 season, the Storm got a record sanctioning. All championships and Minor Premierships since 2006 were denied them. The total prize money of AU $ 1.1 million had to be divided among the other clubs in the NRL, the Leeds Rhinos subsequently received the prize money for the World Club Challenge 2010 from AU $ 89,000. In addition, the maximum fine of AU $ 500,000 was imposed by the NRL. The Stormers were deducted all the points already collected in the 2010 beyond. More points of the season will not be counted, so that the team will finish the season in last place in the table.

CEO Matt Hanson was immediately replaced by Frank Stanton. Brian Waldron, who served as CEO from 2004 to 2010 mainly responsible for the breach of the salary cap, also lost his job at the Melbourne Rebels. With the signing of star player Billy Slater in February 2009 Waldron had alleged that the Melbourne Storm salary cap would be examined by the auditor of the NRL and all the rumors about high salaries are not to be taken seriously. The club took out the financial penalties, but was a legal case against the deprivation of championships. The trial was, however, set the part of the Melbourne Storm after 2010 CEO Frank Stanton was replaced by Ron Gauci on July 21. Gauci is to rehabilitate the club and build again.

Achievements and Statistics

Championships

World Club Challenges

Season Stats

Stadiums and spectator numbers

Since its founding in 1998, the Melbourne Storm played most of the time in the Olympic Park Stadium. Due to the high home winning percentage of the team of 77.2 %, the stadium was from the fans of the Stormers also called The Graveyard ( Cemetery ). It actually only holds a maximum of 18,500 spectators, but at the first home game of the Stormers on 3 April 1998 against the North Sydney Bears interest was so great that additional viewers were left on the track of the stadium. Therefore, the attendance record of the Stormers is also from this first home game of the club's history, which was watched by 20,522 spectators. A total of three matches were played in front of more than 18,000 spectators in Olypic Park. All three games took place in the first season the Stormers in 1998. In 1999 the attendance record was 16,473, which was then no longer exceeded. The fifth highest level was reached in 2006 with 15,690.

The average attendance of the Melbourne Storm got the first three years in a row and reached after the season 2000 14.622 spectators. The club's management decided that in the season 2001 in the newly finished and move with 56,000 places far greater Etihad Stadium. But the athletic weakest season of Stormers gave only 11,969 spectators on average, which puts the new stadium was just filled times to 21.4%. The club then moved back into the Olympic Park Stadium, but did not yield any recovery in the audience with them. The average attendance declined continuously and fell in 2004 and 2005, 9,000. First sporting success in 2006 brought a marked increase in the number of spectators, as for every Game nearly 2,000 spectators came more than last year. By 2008, the average rose to 12,474 in 2009 and 11,979 were achieved. Another record dates back to 2007 when the Stormers their semi-final match against Parramatta at Etihad Stadium before 33,427 spectators fought out. It was more common practice that the club dodged to the home games in the final rounds in the larger stadiums in the city.

2007 construction began for the AAMI Park, a new stadium in the immediate vicinity of the Olympic Park with more modern facilities and larger capacity ( 30,050 seats). It quickly became clear that the Stormers would move after the completion of the AAMI Park. Their last home game in the Olympic Park took place against the Sydney Roosters on August 29, 2009. 2010, the first three home games of the Stormers were again held at Etihad Stadium before making the move into the new home stadium was. On May 9, the Storm's first played in the AAMI Park, but lost 14-36 against the Brisbane Broncos.

Team logo and team colors

Originally, as a club logo a gunslinger with a handful of dollar bills in conversation. The club should be called Melbourne Mavericks. When funders News Limited this proposal was rejected as too American. The Co-CEOs Chris Johns and John Ribot ultimately choose for the topics lightning, power and storm and named the club Melbourne Storm.

The colors of the Melbourne Storm were inspired by the colors of the Australian state of Victoria since the first season. Dark blue with a white ' V'. Added to this was the most jersey designs still a purple component as well as some gold. 2005 to 2009 was gold replaced by silver. 2010 disappeared from the silver jerseys and purple was the first time the dominant color.