The 2019 Melbourne Storm season was the 22nd in the club's history, competing in the 2019 NRL season. The team was coached by Craig Bellamy, who coached the club for his 17th consecutive season. Melbourne Storm were captained by Cameron Smith, who had been the sole captain for the team since 2008. On 13 July 2019 Smith became the first NRL player to play 400 NRL games. On 31 August 2019 the Storm defeated the Manly Sea Eagles to win their fourth J. J. Giltinan Shield as the minor premiers.
Season summary
Pre-season – New recruits took part in Melbourne Storm IDQ camp for pre season training before New Years. Tom Eisenhuth was awarded the IDQ Iron bar with special recognition to both Sandor Earl & Nicho Hynes. Round 1 – Prior to the commencement of play, the northern stand of AAMI Park was renamed "The Slater Stand" after Billy Slater. Storm defeated the Broncos 22–12 extending their winning streak in Round 1 to 17 seasons. Tom Eisenhuth makes Storm debut. Round 3 – Storm defeat the Panthers 32–2 in Bathurst, Marion Seve scores his first NRL try Round 5 – Cameron Smith becomes the game's highest ever points scorer with penalty goal in the 48th minute. Smith finished the game on 2422 points. Sandor Earl made his debut for the Storm and also played his first game following a four year ban from the game. Round 9 – The NRL stage their first Magic Round at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium. The Storm completed one of the biggest wins in the club's history dominating the Parramatta Eels 64-10. Will Chambers played game 200. Round 11 – The Storm defeat the Bulldogs away at Belmore Oval Sydney with Cameron Smith playing his 500th first grade game. Cameron Munster also played his 100th Game. Round 16 – Missing 7 players due to State of Origin, Storm win 16–14 against St George Illawarra. The game was notable due to the large number of milestones; with Cameron Smith scoring his 2500th career point, Sandor Earl played his 50th NRL game, Craig Bellamy coached his 300th win and both Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Billy Walters making their playing debuts. Round 17 – Cameron Smith becomes the first NRL player to play in 400 NRL games in the Storm's 40-16 win over Cronulla. Round 19 – Cameron Smith captains his 300th NRL Game. Round 22 – The Storm lose to the Canberra Raiders 22–18 after leading 18–0 shortly before half time. This result meant that it was the Storm's worst collapse in the history of the club. Round 24 – Storm defeat the Manly Sea Eagles 36-6 and clinch the J. J. Giltinan Shield as the minor premiers for 2019. Nelson Asofa-Solomaona also played his 100th game.
Milestone games Round Player MilestoneRound 1 Tom Eisenhuth Storm debutRound 2 Marion Seve NRL debutRound 4 Ryan Papenhuyzen NRL debutRound 5 Sandor Earl Storm debutRound 5 Cameron Smith NRL points scoring recordRound 9 Will Chambers 200th GameRound 11 Cameron Munster 100th GameRound 15 Felise Kaufusi 100th GameRound 16 Tino Faasuamaleaui NRL debutRound 16 Billy Walters NRL debutRound 16 Cameron Smith 2500th pointRound 16 Sandor Earl 50th GameRound 16 Craig Bellamy 300th win as coachRound 17 Cameron Smith 400th GameRound 20 Cameron Smith 300th Game as CaptainRound 21 Nicho Hynes NRL debutRound 21 Joe Stimson 50th GameRound 22 Max King Storm debutRound 24 Nelson Asofa-Solomona 100th GamePrelim Final Kenny Bromwich 150th Game
Fixtures
Pre-season Source: Date Round Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Source23 FebruaryTrial New Zealand Warriors GMHBA Stadium, Geelong6122 MarchTrialNorth Queensland Cowboys BB Print Stadium, Mackay614
Regular season
Matches Source: (GP) - Golden Point extra time (pen) - Penalty try
Date Round Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field Goals Report14 March1Brisbane Broncos AAMI Park, Melbourne2212J Hughes, C Scott, K Bromwich, J BromwichC Smith 3/422 March2 Canberra Raiders GIO Stadium, Canberra2210S Vunivalu (3), N Asofa-SolomonaC Smith 3/5 30 March3Penrith Panthers Carrington Park, Bathurst, New South Wales322C Munster, B Croft, J Addo-Carr, M Seve, J BromwichC Smith 6/6, B Croft 0/17 April4Canterbury BulldogsAAMI Park, Melbourne1816W Chambers (pen), T Kamikamica, C MunsterC Smith 3/312 April5 North Queensland Cowboys 1300SMILES Stadium, Townsville1812J Addo-Carr (2), W ChambersC Smith 3/519 April6Sydney Roosters AAMI Park, Melbourne(GP)2021J Addo-Carr, T Kamikamica, C ScottB Croft 4/4B Croft 0/225 April7 New Zealand Warriors AAMI Park, Melbourne1312C Munster, J HughesC Munster 2/3B Croft 1/13 May8Cronulla Sharks Shark Park, Sydney1820J Addo-Carr, J Bromwich, R PapenhuyzenC Smith 3/411 May9Parramatta Eels Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane6410C Munster (2), J Addo-Carr (2), D Finucane, J Hughes, C Scott, S Vunivalu, B Croft, R Papenhuyzen, K Bromwich C Smith 9/11, W Chambers 1/116 May10Wests Tigers AAMI Park, Melbourne2422R Papenhuyzen, F Kaufusi, M Seve, W ChambersC Smith 3/426 May11Canterbury Bulldogs Belmore Sports Ground, Sydney286J Addo Carr (2), W Chambers, N Asofa-SolomonaC Smith 5/6, R Papenhuyzen 1/112Bye8 June13 New Zealand Warriors Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland3210J Hughes (2), S Vunivalu, J Bromwich, M SeveC Smith 6/715 June14Newcastle KnightsAAMI Park, Melbourne344J Stimson (2), J Addo-Carr, J Hughes, M Seve, S VunivaluC Smith 5/5, R Papenhuyzen 0/128 June15Sydney Roosters Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 1412R Papenhuyzen, B CroftC Smith 3/3 4 July16 St George-Illawarra Dragons WIN Stadium, Wollongong1614J Stimson, J HughesC Smith 4/4 13 July17 Cronulla SharksAAMI Park, Melbourne4016B Smith (2), C Munster, B Croft, J Olam, J StimsonC Smith 8/9 21 July18 Gold Coast Titans Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast3818S Vunivalu (2), J Stimson, S Earl, R Papenhuyzen, C Smith, J OlamC Smith 5/6, J Stimson 0/127 July19Manly Sea Eagles AAMI Park, Melbourne(GP)1011W Chambers, B SmithC Smith 1/2B Croft 0/2, CMunster 0/1, C Smith 0/12 August20Brisbane BroncosSuncorp Stadium, Brisbane404K Bromwich (2), J Addo-Carr, C Welch, J Hughes, C Smith, R PapenhuyzenC Smith 6/911 August21South Sydney Rabbitohs Central Coast Stadium, Gosford2616J Bromwich, J Olam, C Munster, B CroftC Smith 5/617 August22Canberra Raiders AAMI Park, Melbourne1822J Olam, J Addo-Carr, S VunivaluC Smith 3/325 August23Gold Coast Titans AAMI Park, Melbourne248K Bromwich, R Papenhuyzen, J Addo-Carr, D FinucaneC Smith 4/5 31 August24 Manly Sea Eagles Lottoland, Sydney366J Olam (3), J Addo-Carr, N Asofa-Solomona, R PapenhuyzenC Smith 6/7 6 September25North Queensland Cowboys AAMI Park, Melbourne2416S Earl, N Asofa-Solomona, W Chambers, M KingC Smith 4/5
Finals Source: Date Round Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field Goals Report14 SeptemberWeek 1 - Qualifying Final Canberra Raiders AAMI Park, Melbourne1012S VunivaluC Smith 3/4 21 SeptemberWeek 2 - Semi Final Parramatta EelsAAMI Park, Melbourne320J Addo-Carr (2), S Vunivalu, C Munster, J Hughes, R Papenhuyzen, N Asofa-SolomonaC Smith 1/6, R Papenhuyzen 1/1, C Munster 0/1 28 SeptemberWeek 3 - Preliminary Final Sydney RoostersSydney Cricket Ground, Sydney614N Asofa-SolomonaC Smith 1/1
Ladder
Coaching staff Craig Bellamy – Head Coach Jason Ryles – Senior Assistant Coach Marc Brentnall – Assistant Coach Ben Jack – U/20s Head Coach Aaron Bellamy – Development Coach Ryan Hinchcliffe – Development Coach Frank Ponissi – Football Director Ryan Hoffman – Football Administration Coordinator Nick Maxwell – Leadership Coach Craig McRae – Kicking & Catching Coach Billy Slater – Specialist Coach (Part time) Scott Sipple – Easts Tigers Feeder Club Coach Craig Ingebrigtsen – Sunshine Coast Falcons Feeder Club Coach
2019 Squad List current as of 24 March 2019
CapNat.Player namePositionFirst Storm GamePrevious First Grade RL club55Cameron Smith (c)HK2002 Melbourne Storm97Will ChambersCE2007 Melbourne Storm119Jesse BromwichPR2010 Melbourne Storm149Kenny BromwichPR, SR, LK2013 Melbourne Storm160Cameron MunsterFE, FB2014 Melbourne Storm163Dale FinucanePR, SR, LK2015 Canterbury Bulldogs164Felise KaufusiPR2015 Melbourne Storm166Nelson Asofa-SolomonaSR, PR2015 Melbourne Storm167Christian WelchSR, PR2015 Melbourne Storm170Curtis ScottCE, WG2016 Melbourne Storm171Suliasi VunivaluWG2016 Melbourne Storm174Brodie CroftHB2016 Melbourne Storm176Josh Addo-CarrWG, FB2017 Wests Tigers179Joe StimsonSR, LK2017 Melbourne Storm181Tui KamikamicaSR, PR2017 Melbourne Storm182Brandon SmithHK2017 Melbourne Storm 184Jahrome HughesFE, FB2017 North Queensland Cowboys187Justin OlamWG, CE2018 Melbourne Storm188Harry GrantHK2018 Melbourne Storm189 Patrick KaufusiPR2018 North Queensland Cowboys190Albert VetePR2018 New Zealand Warriors 192Tom EisenhuthSR2019 Penrith Panthers193Marion SeveWG2019 Melbourne Storm194Ryan PapenhuyzenFB2019 Melbourne Storm195Sandor EarlWG2019 Canberra Raiders196Billy WaltersFE2019 Melbourne Storm197Tino Fa'asuamaleauiPR2019 Melbourne Storm198Nicho HynesFB2019 Melbourne Storm199Max KingPR2019 Gold Coast Titans —Kayleb MilneSRYet to debut Melbourne Storm —Cooper JohnsFEYet to debut Melbourne Storm —Solomone KataCEYet to debut New Zealand Warriors —Isaac LumelumeWGYet to debut Cronulla Sharks —Aaron PenePRYet to debut Melbourne Storm —Darryn SchonigPRYet to debut Melbourne Storm
Player movements Source:
Losses Cheyse Blair to Castleford Tigers (mid season) Scott Drinkwater to North Queensland Cowboys (mid season) Louis Geraghty to Gold Coast Titans Tim Glasby to Newcastle Knights Ryan Hoffman to Retired Ryley Jacks to Gold Coast Titans Sam Kasiano to Catalans Dragons (mid season) Billy Slater to Retired Lachlan Timm to Gold Coast Titans Sale Finau to Newcastle Knights Junior Ratuva to Canterbury Crusaders Patrick Kaufusi to St George Illawarra Dragons (mid season)
Gains Nicho Hynes from Sunshine Coast Falcons Solomone Kata from New Zealand Warriors (mid season) Max King from Gold Coast Titans (mid season) Isaac Lumelume from Cronulla Sharks (mid season)
Representative honours This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2019.
Player 2019 All Stars match State of Origin 1 2019 Oceania Cup R1 and Internationals State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 Rugby League World Cup 9s 2019 Oceania Cup Rds 2 and 3 Josh Addo-Carr Indigenous All Stars New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales Australia Australia Nelson Asofa-Solomona New Zealand Jesse Bromwich Maori All Stars New Zealand Kenny Bromwich Maori All Stars New Zealand New Zealand Will Chambers Indigenous All Stars Queensland Queensland Queensland Tino Fa'asuamaleaui Samoa Samoa Dale Finucane New South Wales New South Wales Jahrome Hughes Maori All Stars New Zealand New Zealand Fiji Fiji Felise Kaufusi Queensland Queensland Queensland Isaac Lumelume Fiji Fiji Cameron Munster Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia Justin Olam Papua New Guinea Ryan Papenhuyzen Australia Marion Seve Samoa Samoa Samoa Brandon Smith Maori All Stars New Zealand New Zealand Suliasi Vunivalu Fiji Fiji Fiji Christian Welch Queensland
Statistics This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2019 NRL season.
NameAppearancesTriesGoalsField GoalsPoints 23160064 2760024 2750020 2750020 2461026 2254129 62008 40000 50000 262008 10000 2490036 10000 212008 251004 10000 61004 2482036 1470028 2292040 930012 1240016 2330012 2721040216 1350020 24110044 20000 161004 1000029 players used — 113 113 1 679
Scorers Most points in a game: 18 points Round 9 – Cameron Smith (9 Goals) vs Parramatta Eels
Most tries in a game: 3 Round 2 – Suliasi Vunivalu vs Canberra Raiders Round 24 – Justin Olam vs Manly Sea Eagles
Winning games
Highest score in a winning game: 64 points Round 9 vs Parramatta Eels
Lowest score in a winning game: 13 points Round 7 vs New Zealand Warriors
Greatest winning margin: 54 points Round 9 vs Parramatta Eels
Greatest number of Games won consecutively: 9 Round 9 – Round 18
Losing games
Highest score in a losing game: 20 points Round 6 vs Sydney Roosters
Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points Preliminary final vs Sydney Roosters