2011 Melbourne Storm season

Melbourne Storm season 2011

Club information
Full name	Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club
Nickname(s)	Storm
Current details
Ground(s)	AAMI Park – 30,050
Coach(s)	Craig Bellamy
Captain(s)	Cameron Smith
Competition	National Rugby League
2011	1st (Minor Premier)

The 2011 Melbourne Storm season was the 14th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2011 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season in first place, taking out the minor premiership. They then came within one match of the grand final but were knocked out by the New Zealand Warriors at AAMI Park before a ground record crowd.

Season summary

• The Storm played 9 of their first 13 games at AAMI Park.
• The Storm's 2011 season and revival commenced with their Round 1 clash with bitter rivals, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, and Melbourne won 18-6.
• In Round 5 the Storm played the Parramatta Eels where their original 1998 jersey was worn by the players. This match had extra significance because it was the first time that coaches Craig Bellamy and Stephen Kearney faced off since Kearney departed the Storm as assistant at the end of 2010, to take on the Eels senior position. The Storm won convincingly, 38-0, for their first win over Parramatta since the 2009 Grand Final.
• The Anzac Day clash saw one of the Storm's largest home crowds with just over 22,000 attending the match, but the match was lost to the New Zealand Warriors by a narrow scoreline of 18-14.
• In Round 12 the Storm hosted the Cronulla Sharks at AAMI Park, in what was Cameron Smith's 200th NRL Game. The storm won 14-8 after a scoreless first half.
• In Round 19 the Storm travelled to Canberra Stadium to take on the Raiders. The Storm won 26-0; the scoreline was significant because it marked the first time in the Raiders history that they had been held scoreless on their own home ground.^[1]
• In Round 20 the Storm hosted the Brisbane Broncos at AAMI Park almost 23,000 spectators attended the match which the Storm won 26 - 6. Cameron Smith notched up his 500th goal during this match, also the team wore a special jersey which was mostly Navy blue with a large grey and white V on the front, it also had the word "Melbourne" printed across the upper back. This jersey was to symbolise Victoria following the City of Melbourne's sponsorship of the match.
• Round 21 saw the Storm stage a remarkable win away at Parramatta Stadium by coming back from 18 - 0 down at the 54 minute mark to win 22 - 18.
• In Round 24 the Storm broke their winning streak record defeating the St George Illawarra Dragons 8-6 to win their 12th consecutive match. They also had their highest home crowd of the season and their 4th highest home crowd of all time, with 24,081 watching the match. Billy Slater also played his 200th game.
• The Melbourne Storm completed the regular season in first place winning the minor premiership.
• Billy Slater was crowned Dally M Player of the Year at the Dally M Awards on 6 September 2011. Craig Bellamy also won coach of the year and Cameron Smith won the Representative player of the year award.
• The Storm qualified for the 2011 NRL finals series and played the Newcastle Knights in Week 1, winning 18-8. This win gave them a one week break and a home Preliminary Final against the New Zealand Warriors. The Storm lost this final 20-12 ending their season.

Jersey and Sponsors

In 2011 the Storm jerseys are again made by Kooga. They retain their predominantly purple home jersey from 2010 (far left) and also their predoninantly white away jersey from 2010 (near left). Special Jerseys For the NRL Heritage round, (Round 5), the Storm wore a replica of their original 1998 jersey (far right). In Round 20 the Storm wore a special "Platinum" jersey against the Brisbane Broncos.[2] On 4 February 2011 Crown Casino was named the naming rights sponsor of the Storm in 2011[1] and chest sponsor on the jersey. Suzuki is also continuing as major sponsors as well with their name appearing on the sleeves. There is no sponsorship on the back of the jersey.[3] Makita also announced a continuation of their sponsorship and their name will continue to appear on the shorts.[4]

Melbourne Storm 2011 season crowd averages

^[5]

	Total Crowd	Total Games	Crowd Average
Home	170,932	12	14,244
Away	172,966	12	14,414
All regular season games	343,898	24	14,329
Finals	43,415	2	21,707
All Games	387,313	26	14,897

Fixtures

Regular season - Rounds 1 to 12

Round 1 12th March 2011 7:30pm Local	Melbourne Storm	18 - 6	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 14,631 Referee/s: Matt Cecchin, Gavin Reynolds Report:[6]
	Tries: Stanley, Duffie, Nielson Goals: Smith 2/2 Field Goal		Tries: Robertson Goals: Lyon Field Goal

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Round 2 19th March 2011 5:30pm Local	Melbourne Storm	40 - 12	Gold Coast Titans	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 12,391 Referee/s: Adam Devcich, Ashley Klein Report:[7]
	Tries:Slater (2), Quinn, Manu, Smith, O'Neill, Cronk Goals: Smith 6/7 Field Goal		Tries: Capewell, Zillman Goals: Prince 2/2 Field Goal

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Round 3 28th March 2011 6:00pm Local	North Queensland Cowboys	34 - 6	Melbourne Storm	Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Attendance: 9,554 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Alan Shortall Report:[8]
	Tries: Graham (2), Bowen (2), Sims, Tupou Goals: Thurston 5/6 Field Goal		Tries: Widdop Goals: Smith Field Goal

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Round 4 4th April 2011 7:00pm Local	Melbourne Storm	30 - 16	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 11,592 Referee/s: Shayne Hayne, Gerard Sutton Report:[9]
	Tries: Duffie (2), Proctor, Neilsen, Bromwich Goals: Smith 5/6 Field Goal		Tries: Turner, Ryan, Keating Goals: Goodwin 2/3 Field Goal

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Round 5 (Heritage Round) 10th April 2011 2:00pm local	Melbourne Storm	38 - 0	Parramatta Eels	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 11,805 Referee/s: Tony Archer , Alan Shortall Report:[10]
	Tries: Champion (2), Cronk, Slater, Blair, Quinn, Duffie Goals: Smith 4/6, Widdop 1/1 Field Goal		Tries: Goals: Field Goal

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Round 6 17th April 2011 3:00pm local	Penrith Panthers	10 - 25	Melbourne Storm	Centrebet Stadium, Penrith Attendance: 11,137 Referee/s: Ben Cummins , Chris James Report:[11]
	Tries: Earl, Tahu Goals: Gordon 1/2 Field Goal:		Tries: Cronk, Norrie, Slater, Duffie Goals: Smith 4/5 Field Goal: Cronk 1/1

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Round 7 (ANZAC Day/Easter) 25th April 2011 7:00pm local	Melbourne Storm	14 - 18	New Zealand Warriors	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 22,694 Referee/s: Shayne Hayne, Gavin Morris Report:[12]
	Tries: Champion, Cronk Goals: Smith 3/3 Field Goal		Tries: Inu, Lillyman, Luck Goals: Maloney 3/4 Field Goal

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Round 8 30th April 2011 7:30pm local	Melbourne Storm	42 - 12	Newcastle Knights	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 9,460 Referee/s: Jason Robinson, Chris James Report:[13]
	Tries: Champion, Duffie, Lowrie, Nielson, Norrie, Slater, Quinn Goals: Smith 7/7 Field Goal		Tries: Hilder, Uate Goals: Gidley 2/2 Field Goal

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Round 9 7th May 2011 7:30pm local	Brisbane Broncos	22 - 29	Melbourne Storm	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Attendance: 34,175 Referee/s: Shayne Hayne, Tony De Las Heras Report:[14]
	Tries: Beale (2), Gagai, Reed Goals: Parker 3/4 Field Goal:		Tries: Cronk, Hinchcliffe, Nielsen, Quinn, Waqa Goals: Smith 4/5 Field Goal: Cronk 1/2

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Round 10 14th May 2011 5:30pm local	Melbourne Storm	12 - 20	Canberra Raiders	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 9,628 Referee/s: Gerard Sutton, Chris James Report:[15]
	Tries: Duffie, Proctor Goals: Smith 2/2 Field Goal:		Tries: Robinson, McCrone, Ferguson Goals: Croker 4/4 Field Goal:

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Round 11	.	Bye	.

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Round 12 29th May 2011 2:00pm local	Melbourne Storm	14 - 8	Cronulla Sharks	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 9733 Referee/s: Steve Lyons, Phil Haines Report:[16]
	Tries: Nielsen, Waqa Goals: Smith 3/3 Field Goal		Tries: Gordon Goals: Porter 2/2 Field Goal

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Regular season - Rounds 13 to 26

Round 13 5th June 2011 3:00pm Local	South Sydney Rabbitohs	6 - 16	Melbourne Storm	ANZ Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 11,528 Referee/s: Ben Cummins, Chris James Report:[17]
	Tries: Taylor Goals: Sandow 1/1 Field Goal:		Tries: Blair, Bromwich, Smith Goals: Smith 1/2, Widdop 1/1 Field Goal:

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Round 14 13th June 2011 7:00pm Local	Melbourne Storm	21 - 4	Sydney Roosters	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 9843 Referee/s: Gavin Badger, Tony De Las Heras Report:[18]
	Tries: O'Neill (2), Champion Goals: Widdop 4/5 Field Goal: Widdop 1/1		Tries: Leilua Goals: Anasta 0/1 Field Goal:

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Round 15 19th June 2011 3:00pm Local	Wests Tigers	4 - 12	Melbourne Storm	Leichhardt Oval, Balmain, New South Wales Attendance: 20,486 Referee/s: Adam Devcich, Ashley Klein Report:[19]
	Tries: Ryan Goals: Marshall 0/1 Field Goal		Tries: Hinchcliffe, Proctor Goals: Duffie 1/1, Smith 1/1 Field Goal

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Round 16 26th June 2011 2:00pm Local	New Zealand Warriors	8 - 16	Melbourne Storm	Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Attendance: 13,362 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Brett Suttor Report:[20]
	Tries: Hohaia Goals: Maloney 2/2 Field Goal:		Tries: Slater (2), Widdop Goals: Smith 2/3 Field Goal

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Round 17	.	Bye	.

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Round 18 9th July 2011 7:30pm Local	Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs	18 - 28	Melbourne Storm	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Attendance: 9,963 Referee/s: Chris James, Steve Lyons Report:[21]
	Tries: Barba, Stagg, Turner Goals: Turner 3/3 Field Goal		Tries: Cronk (2), Bromwich, Waqa, Duffie Goals: Widdop 1/1, Smith 3/4 Field Goal

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Round 19 17th July 2011 2:00pm Local	Canberra Raiders	0 - 26	Melbourne Storm	Canberra Stadium, Canberra Attendance: 11,853 Referee/s: Matt Cecchin, Adam Devcich Report:[1]
	Tries: Goals: Field Goal		Tries: Duffie (2), Bromwich, Cronk, Hinchcliffe Goals: Widdop 0/1, Smith 3/4 Field Goal

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Round 20 22nd July 2011 7:35pm Local	Melbourne Storm	26 - 6	Brisbane Broncos	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 22,912 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Ashley Klein Report:[22]
	Tries: M Blair (2), C Cronk, J O'Neill Goals: Smith 5/5 Field Goal		Tries: Yow Yeh Goals: Parker 1/1 Field Goal

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Round 21 1st August 2011 7:00pm Local	Parramatta Eels	18 - 22	Melbourne Storm	Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta Attendance: 10,078 Referee/s: Tony De Las Heras, Steve Lyons Report:[23]
	Tries: Maitua, Lasalo Goals: Burt 5/5 Field Goal		Tries: Waqa, Slater, O'Neill, Nielsen Goals: Smith 3/4 Field Goal

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Round 22 6th August 2011 5:30pm Local	Melbourne Storm	26 - 6	Penrith Panthers	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 12,162 Referee/s: Ben Cummins, Phil Haines Report:[24]
	Tries: Hinchcliffe, Manu, Slater, Proctor Goals: Smith 5/5 Field Goal		Tries: Purtell Goals: Walsh Field Goal

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Round 23 13th August 2011 7:30pm Local	Gold Coast Titans	16 - 40	Melbourne Storm	Skilled Park, Gold Coast Attendance: 11,663 Referee/s: Alan Shortall, Jason Robinson Report:[25]
	Tries: Michaels, Thompson, Mead Goals: Campbell 2/4 Field Goal		Tries: Cronk (3), Slater (2), Quinn, Manu Goals: Smith 6/7 Field Goal

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Round 24 19th August 2011 7:35pm Local	Melbourne Storm	8 - 6	St. George Illawarra Dragons	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 24,081 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Matt Cecchin Report:[26]
	Tries: Quinn Goals: Smith 2/2 Field Goal		Tries: Stanley Goals: Soward 1/1 Field Goal

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Round 25 26th August 2011 7:35pm Local	Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles	18 - 4	Melbourne Storm	Brookvale Oval, Manly Attendance: 20,414 Referee/s: Gavin Badger, Shayne Hayne Report:[27]
	Tries: Williams (2), Foran Goals: Lyon 3/4 Field Goal Cherry-Evans 0/1		Tries: Slater Goals: Widdop 0/1 Field Goal

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Round 26 4th September 2011 7:00pm Local	Sydney Roosters	40 - 8	Melbourne Storm	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney Attendance: 8,753 Referee/s: Alan Shortall, Jason Robinson Report:[28]
	Tries: Leilua (3), Carney, Guerra, Minichiello, Pearce Goals: Anasta 6/7 Field Goal		Tries: Champion, Duffie Goals: Widdop 0/1, Cronk 0/1 Field Goal

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Finals

Qualifying Final - Week 1 11th September 2011 4:00pm Local	Melbourne Storm	18 - 8	Newcastle Knights	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 14,845 Referee/s: Ashley Klein & Adam Devcich Report:[29]
	Tries: Duffie, Champion, Manu Goals: Smith 3/4 Field Goal		Tries: Gidley, Uate Goals: Gidley 0/2 Field Goal

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Preliminary Final - Week 3 24th September 2011 7:45pm Local	Melbourne Storm	12 - 20	New Zealand Warriors	AAMI Park, Melbourne Attendance: 28,580 Referee/s: Tony Archer, Matt Cecchin Report:[30]
	Tries: Champion, Manu Goals: Smith 2/2 Field Goal		Tries: Brown, Maloney, Tupou Goals: Maloney 4/4 Field Goal

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Ladders

2011 NRL seasonv · d · e Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts 1 Melbourne Storm 24 19 - 5 2 521 308 213 42 2 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 24 18 - 6 2 539 331 208 40 3 Brisbane Broncos 24 18 - 6 2 511 372 139 40 4 Wests Tigers 24 15 - 9 2 519 430 89 34 5 St George Illawarra Dragons 24 14 1 9 2 483 341 142 33 6 New Zealand Warriors 24 14 - 10 2 504 393 111 32 7 North Queensland Cowboys 24 14 - 10 2 532 480 52 32 8 Newcastle Knights 24 12 - 12 2 478 443 35 28 9 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 12 - 12 2 449 489 -40 28 10 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 11 - 13 2 531 562 -31 26 11 Sydney Roosters 24 10 - 14 2 417 500 -83 24 12 Penrith Panthers 24 9 - 15 2 430 517 -87 22 13 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 7 - 17 2 428 557 -129 18 14 Parramatta Eels 24 6 1 17 2 385 538 -153 17 15 Canberra Raiders 24 6 - 18 2 423 623 -200 16 16 Gold Coast Titans 24 6 - 18 2 363 629 -266 16

2011 National Youth Competition seasonv · New Zealand 24 19 1 4 2 851 494 +357 43 2 North Queensland 24 17 0 7 2 758 509 +249 38 3 Cronulla-Sutherland 24 16 1 7 2 707 600 +107 37 4 Melbourne 24 16 0 8 2 678 517 +161 36 5 Sydney 24 15 1 8 2 639 523 +116 35 6 Canterbury-Bankstown 24 14 0 10 2 659 458 +201 32 7 Wests 24 12 2 10 2 607 529 +78 30 8 Newcastle 24 12 1 11 2 638 660 -22 29 9 Brisbane 24 11 2 11 2 752 551 +201 28 10 Penrith 24 12 0 12 2 558 709 -151 28 11 St. George Illawarra 24 10 2 12 2 562 594 -32 26 12 Parramatta 24 10 1 13 2 547 556 -9 25 13 Canberra 24 8 1 15 2 683 749 -66 21 14 Gold Coast 24 5 1 18 2 467 779 -312 15 15 South Sydney 24 4 1 19 2 454 881 -427 13 16 Manly-Warringah 24 4 0 20 2 432 843 -411 12

2011 squad

Although other players may play for the Melbourne Storm during the year, all NRL clubs are required to select a top 25 First Grade squad at the beginning of the season.

No. Position Player 1 SR Adam Blair 2 PR Jesse Bromwich 3 FE Dane Chisholm 4 HB Cooper Cronk 5 WG Matt Duffie 6 HB Jake Hawkins 7 HK Ryan Hinchcliffe 8 HB Luke Kelly 9 PR John Kite 10 HK Rory Kostjasyn 11 LK Todd Lowrie 12 SR Sika Manu

No. Position Player 13 WG Dane Nielsen 14 PR Bryan Norrie 15 CE Justin O'Neill 16 SR Kevin Proctor 17 WG Anthony Quinn 18 SR Robert Rochow 19 FB Billy Slater 20 HK Cameron Smith (C) 21 CE Chase Stanley 22 SR Atelea Vea 23 FB Gareth Widdop

Source: Storm 2011 Squad

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Storm announce major sponsorship with Crown - Melbourne Storm
2. ^ The Bai Stand - View topic - 'Platinum' Melbourne Storm Jersey v Broncos (22nd July 2011)
3. ^ Suzuki drives forward with Storm - Melbourne Storm
4. ^ Makita drills in their support for Storm - Melbourne Storm
5. ^ Rugby League Tables / Season 2011
6. ^ 2011 Match Centre - NRL.com
7. ^ Ruthless Storm spoil Preston's party - NRL.com
8. ^ 2011 Match Centre - NRL.com
9. ^ Angry Dogs lick their wounds after being set upon by rejuvenated Storm pack
10. ^ Storm hits peak with ominous look for rivals
11. ^ Melbourne Storm too good for Penrith Panthers | Herald Sun
12. ^ Bellamy accuses players of a half-hearted effort on day reserved for warriors
13. ^ Cronk in Test mix as Gids damages shoulder
14. ^ Brave Broncos fall short | Courier Mail
15. ^ Canberra Raiders upset Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park | Herald Sun
16. ^ Cronulla gallant but season now on line | Courier Mail
17. ^ Rugby League | NRL | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Melbourne Storm
18. ^ Melbourne Storm bt Sydney Roosters | NRL Rugby League | Photos
19. ^ Rugby League | Wests Tigers | Melbourne Storm
20. ^ Rugby League | New Zealand Warriors | Melbourne Storm
21. ^ NRL Game Report | Live Scores and Breakdowns | thetelegraph.com.au
22. ^ Broncos get reality check | Courier Mail
23. ^ Melbourne Storm pull off amazing comeback to down Parramatta Eels 22-18 | thetelegraph.com.au
24. ^ Melbourne Storm blow away Panthers | Herald Sun
25. ^ Cooper's triple treat in Storm cakewalk | Herald Sun
26. ^ Storm beat Dragons in tight tussle | Herald Sun
27. ^ Manly maintain unbeaten home record with gutsy win over Melbourne | Herald Sun
28. ^ Craig Bellamy says freshened Melbourne Storm will be fine for finals | Herald Sun
29. ^ http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/live-storm-v-knights/story-e6frexnr-1226134153327
30. ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/live-warriors-v-storm/story-e6frf9if-1226145402828