2004_Melbourne_Storm_season

2004 Melbourne Storm season

2004 Melbourne Storm season

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The 2004 Melbourne Storm season was the 7th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2004 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 6th out of 15 teams.

Quick Facts NRL Rank, Play-off result ...

Inconsistency plagued Storm in Craig Bellamy’s second season in charge, but the team won four games in a row during the middle part of the year to move into the top four. They could not maintain their run though, eventually finishing sixth. Once again Storm won its first final, a 31-14 triumph over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium before bowing out to the Bulldogs for the second straight season the following week. John Ribot departed the club early in the 2004 season with Frank Stanton stepping in as acting CEO for the next 12 months.[1]

Season Summary

  • World Sevens – Storm avenge their 2003 loss to Lebanon in the Rugby League World Sevens, but fail to progress out of Pool C.
  • 4 March – In the wake of the Coffs Harbour scandal overshadowing the start of the 2004 NRL season, reports emerge two Melbourne players are being accused of sexual assault, claims which are later ruled unfounded.
  • 7 March – With a forthcoming bye in Round 1, Melbourne play foundation NSWRL club Newtown Jets in an extra trial match at Henson Park.
  • 12 March – Club founder John Ribot resigns as executive director of the club. Ribot later sells his remaining shares in the club to News Limited. Ribot and News are forced to deny the decision was connected to Ribot's handling of allegations against two Melbourne players.[2] Frank Stanton is appointed interim CEO of the club.
  • 17 March – Coach Craig Bellamy agrees to a new contract to coach Melbourne until the end of 2007.
  • Round 2 – Despite leading 14-10 at half time, Melbourne lose their first game for the season at home to Newcastle Knights.
  • 28 April – Melbourne is found by the NRL to have exceeded the competition's salary cap in 2003 and are fined $130,956.[2]
  • Round 6 – Celebrating his 200th NRL game, Danny Williams scores two tries and adds a late conversion to bring up a 50-4 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs.
  • Round 8 – Referee Tony Archer awards New Zealand Warriors goalkicker Sione Faumuina a second shot at goal after Melbourne captain Stephen Kearney deliberately threw a water bottle in his line of vision. The Warriors regain the Michael Moore Trophy with a 20-14 win in Auckland.[2]
  • 13 May – Outspoken Parramatta Eels CEO Denis Fitzgerald declares that Melbourne Storm be disbanded and forced to relocate to the Gold Coast, saying "promoting rugby league in Melbourne is akin to promoting beach volleyball in Iceland."[2][3]
  • Round 12 – Melbourne win their first ever game at EnergyAustralia Stadium, beating the Newcastle Knights 28-16. The club had previously lost six straight games at the venue.
  • Round 14 – Despite reaching a 16-0 lead, Melbourne lose 28-26 to South Sydney Rabbitohs in Souths' caretaker coach Arthur Kitinis first game in charge.
  • Round 16 – In a night of milestones with the club celebrating Robbie Kearns (250 games), Matt Geyer (150 games, 144 games for Melbourne to equal Marcus Bai's record); Storm thrash Warriors 42-6 to take back the Michael Moore Trophy.
  • Round 17 – Melbourne blitz Penrith Panthers 66-14, setting new club records for the highest score and record winning margin at Olympic Park. Matt Orford scored a new club record 11 goals from 12 attempts.[2]
  • 14 July – Club captain Stephen Kearney announces he will be leaving Melbourne at the end of the season to finish his career with Super League club Hull F.C.[2]
  • Round 19 – Danny Williams is sent off for king-hitting Wests Tigers forward Mark O'Neill. O'Neill is cited and later found guilty of a careless high tackle on Williams, but receives no suspension. After the NRL judiciary hearing is adjourned for two weeks after evidence is introduced claiming Williams was suffering "post-traumatic amnesia", he receives a 18-match suspension, the longest suspension handed down in over a decade.[2]
  • Round 20 – Scoring 18 points (3 tries, 3 goals) himself, a controversial last second Matt Orford try hands Melbourne a 22-16 win against Parramatta. Eels coach Brian Smith furious with video referee Chris Ward to award the Orford try, calling the decision "disgusting".[2]
  • Round 23 – Jeremy Smith makes his NRL debut, scoring a try with his first touch of the ball. Smith is the first former Melbourne Storm junior to play with the club.
  • Round 24 – In their last game at Olympic Park, Rodney Howe and Stephen Kearney lead Melbourne to a 22-12 victory over Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, the club's first win against that club since 2000.[4]
  • September 13 – News Limited appoint former St Kilda CEO Brian Waldron as the club's new CEO.[2]
  • Round 26 – Secure in sixth position on the NRL ladder, Craig Bellamy rests a number of players from the club's final regular season game against Manly. Melbourne lose 30-28 with Bellamy expressing his anger at match referee Steve Lyons and video referee Paul Simpkins over a number of contentious decisions.
  • September 7 – With 23 points, Matt Orford finishes in a tied for third in the 2004 Dally M Medal count, four points behind winner Danny Buderus.
  • Qualifying Final – Down 8-0 at half time, Melbourne stun the Brisbane Broncos in a pulsating second half, winning 31-14 at Suncorp Stadium. Matt Orford also kicks the first field goal for Melbourne in over five years.
  • Semi Final – For the second straight season, Melbourne are eliminated from the NRL finals by the Bulldogs, this time going down 43-18 at Aussie Stadium. Down 16-0 early, Melbourne were never really in the match, in what was former captain Rodney Howe's last game of rugby league.

Milestone games

More information Round, Player ...

Jerseys

Melbourne's jerseys were unchanged from the designs implemented by Canterbury of New Zealand in 2003. The club's clash colours were again a mostly white design with a purple chevron and gold thunderbolts, worn with navy shorts. Honda finished up as sponsor at the end of 2003, and there was no sleeve sponsor for 2004.

Fixtures

Pre Season

More information Date, Round ...
More information Date, Rd ...

Regular season

Source:[14]

More information Date, Rd ...

Finals

More information Brisbane Broncos, 14 - 31 ...
Qualifying final
11 September 2004
Suncorp Stadium
Attendance: 31,100
Referee: Steve Clark
More information Bulldogs, 43 - 18 ...
Semi final
19 September 2004
Aussie Stadium
Attendance: 23,750
Referee: Paul Simpkins

Ladder

Main article: 2004 NRL season
More information Pos, Team ...

2004 Coaching Staff

2004 squad

List current as of 20 September 2021[42]

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm players
More information Cap, Nat. ...

Player movements

Representative honours

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2004.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm representatives
More information Player, City vs Country Origin ...

Statistics

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2004 NRL season.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm records
More information Name, Appearances ...

Scorers

Most points in a game: 22 points

  • Round 17 - Matt Orford (11 goals) vs Penrith Panthers

Most tries in a game: 3

  • Round 6 - Jake Webster vs South Sydney Rabbitohs
  • Round 12 - Matt Geyer vs Newcastle Knights
  • Round 17 - Steve Turner vs Penrith Panthers
  • Round 20 - Matt Orford vs Parramatta Eels
  • Round 23 - Matt King vs New Zealand Warriors

Winning games

Highest score in a winning game: 66 points

  • Round 17 vs Penrith Panthers

Lowest score in a winning game: 22 points

  • Round 11 vs Canberra Raiders
  • Round 20 vs Parramatta Eels

Greatest winning margin: 52 points

  • Round 17 vs Penrith Panthers

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 4

  • Round 10 - Round 13

Losing games

Highest score in a losing game: 28 points

  • Round 26 vs Manly Warringah Sea Eagles

Lowest score in a losing game: 10 points

  • Round 21 vs Sydney Roosters

Greatest losing margin: 25 points

  • Semi Final vs Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 2

  • Round 4 - Round 5
  • Round 8 - Round 9
  • Round 18 - Round 19
  • Round 21 - Round 22

Feeder Team

Melbourne Storm reserve players again travelled to Brisbane each week to play with Queensland Cup team Norths Devils. Coached for a second season by Gary Greinke, Norths returned to the finals, finishing second in the regular season behind eventual premiers Burleigh Bears. However, the Devils were bundled out of the finals in straight sets. Melbourne Storm rookie Jeremy Smith won the Devils Player of the Year Award.

During the season, Greg Inglis made his first grade debut as a 17-year-old, scoring two tries. Inglis would play six Queensland Cup games for the season, scoring eight tries, also representing Queensland in underage representative games.[45]

Main article: 2004 Queensland Cup
More information Pos, Team ...

Awards and honours

Melbourne Storm Awards Night

Dally M Awards Night

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. Luke Dyer played in the 2004 World Sevens tournament for Melbourne before transferring back to Penrith Panthers, making his first grade debut against Melbourne later in the 2004 NRL season.
  4. Including Australian tour matches against Papua New Guinea, France, and USA

References

  1. [1]
    "History Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. [2]
    Middleton, David. 2004 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines.
  3. [3]
    "Melbourne find an ice way to kick sand in Fitzgerald's face". smh.com.au. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  4. [4]
    de Kroo, Karl (23 August 2004). "Storm back in title race - Bulldogs juggernaut derailed". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Queensland. p. 3 (sport liftout).
  5. [5]
    de Kroo, Karl (16 February 2004). "Rookie Cronk cranks it up". Herald-Sun. Melbourne, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 42.
  6. [6]
    Stedman, Chris (16 February 2004). "Playmaker Hill on comeback road". The Australian. Canberra, Australia: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 21.
  7. [7]
    Ricketts, Steve (22 February 2004). "Lockie at home in trial run as pivot". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Queensland: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 140.
  8. [8]
    "Injury sours Raiders' win". theage.com.au. Fairfax Media. 29 February 2004. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
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    de Kroo, Karl (29 February 2004). "Storm falls short". Herald-Sun. Melbourne, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 50.
  10. [10]
    "Drew blow for Raiders". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney, New South Wales: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 29 February 2004. p. 56.
  11. [11]
    "Flashback Friday – Newtown Jets v Melbourne Storm 2004". Newtown Jets. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  12. [12]
    Mascord, Steve (7 March 2004). "Storm in a rout". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales: Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. p. 16.
  13. [13]
    Mascord, Steve (7 March 2004). "Stormy week ends on a high as Geyer show lifts Melbourne". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, New South Wales: Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited. p. 109.
  14. [14]
    "Rugby League Tables - Melbourne". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
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    "NRL 2004 - Round 2". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
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    "NRL 2004 - Round 11". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
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  26. [26]
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  27. [27]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 14". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  28. [28]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 16". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  29. [29]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 17". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  30. [30]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 18". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  31. [31]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 19". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  32. [32]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 20". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  33. [33]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 21". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  34. [34]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 22". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
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    "NRL 2004 - Round 23". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  36. [36]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 24". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  37. [37]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 25". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  38. [38]
    "NRL 2004 - Round 26". Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  39. [39]
    NRL 2004 - Qualifying Final. Rugby League Project. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  40. [40]
    NRL 2004 - Semi Final. Rugby League Project. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  41. [41]
    Brian Smith (2 July 2014). "SMITHY: A Sharp mind and a fine coach". theroar.com.au. Retrieved 14 March 2022. Showing how highly rated he was in the wider coaching community, Melbourne Storm snapped him up for two seasons as an assistant immediately after the five year stint on Sydney's north shore.
  42. [42]
    "Player Profiles (2004)". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 December 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  43. [43]
    "2004 Melbourne Point Scorers". afltables.com. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  44. [44]
    "Melbourne Storm - NRL 2004". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  45. [45]
    Burgin, Robert (1 August 2018). "When Greg Inglis, 17, blew the Intrust Super Cup apart". qrl.com.au. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  46. [46]
    "NRL Honour Board". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  47. [47]
    "ORFORD CROWNED STORM PLAYER OF THE YEAR". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 October 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
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