2011 Melbourne Storm season

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.

2011 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank1st (Minor Premier)
Play-off resultPreliminary Final Loss
2011 recordWins: 19; Draws: 0; Losses: 5
Points scoredFor: 521; Against: 308
Team information
CEORon Gauci
CoachCraig Bellamy
Captain
StadiumAAMI Park – 30,050
Top scorers
TriesBilly Slater (12)
Cooper Cronk (12)
Matt Duffie (12)
GoalsCameron Smith (78)
PointsCameron Smith (164)
< 2010 List of seasons 2012 >

Storm enjoyed a strong start to the season with a 7–3 record from the opening 10 rounds. Their run of stellar form continued, losing just two games for the remainder of the season. Both of those came on the eve of the finals but the team was still able to win the Minor Premiership, finishing two points clear of Manly. After beating Newcastle 18–8 in the Qualifying final, Storm's season was prematurely ended with a home preliminary final loss to the Warriors. Melbourne again finished the season with the competition's best defence.[1] At the Dally M awards, the Club featured prominently. Gareth Widdop also enjoyed a breakout season, playing 25 games while making 16 line breaks and providing 16 try assists.

Jersey and Sponsors

In 2011 the Storm jerseys were made by Kooga. They retained their predominantly purple home jersey from 2010 and also their predominantly white away jersey from 2010.

Special Jerseys

  • For the NRL Heritage round, (Round 5), the Storm wore a replica of their original 1998 jersey.
  • 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[3] 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.[4] Makita also announced a continuation of their sponsorship and their name will continue to appear on the shorts.[5]

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 traveled 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.[6]
  • 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.
  • In Round 25 the Storm lost 184 to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in a violent match informally known as the "Battle of Brookvale". Adam Blair received a five-match suspension for his role in the match, meaning he had played his last game for the club.[7]
  • 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.

Milestone games

RoundPlayerMilestone
Round 1Jaiman LoweStorm debut
Round 1Troy ThompsonStorm debut
Round 2Beau ChampionStorm debut
Round 4Atelea VeaStorm debut
Round 4Adam WoolnoughStorm debut
Round 9Maurice BlairStorm debut
Round 9Sisa WaqaStorm debut
Round 10Dane ChisholmNRL debut
Round 12Cameron Smith200th game
Round 24Billy Slater200th game
Round 26Jack AfamasagaStorm debut

Melbourne Storm 2011 season crowd averages

[8]

Total CrowdTotal GamesCrowd Average
Home170,9321214,244
Away172,9661214,414
All regular season games343,8982414,329
Finals43,415221,707
All Games387,3132614,897

Fixtures

Regular season - Rounds 1 to 12

Round 1
12 March 2011
7:30pm Local
Melbourne Storm 18 - 6 Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Tries: Stanley, Duffie, Nielson
Goals: Smith 2/2
Field Goal
Tries: Robertson
Goals: Lyon
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 14,631
Referee: Matt Cecchin, Gavin Reynolds Report:[9]

Round 2
19 March 2011
5:30pm Local
Melbourne Storm 40 - 12 Gold Coast Titans
Tries:Slater (2), Quinn, Manu, Smith, O'Neill, Cronk
Goals: Smith 6/7
Field Goal
Tries: Capewell, Zillman
Goals: Prince 2/2
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 12,391
Referee: Adam Devcich, Ashley Klein Report:[10]

Round 3
28 March 2011
6:00pm Local
North Queensland Cowboys 34 - 6 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Graham (2), Bowen (2), Sims, Tupou
Goals: Thurston 5/6
Field Goal
Tries: Widdop
Goals: Smith
Field Goal
Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville
Attendance: 9,554
Referee: Tony Archer, Alan Shortall Report:[11]

Round 4
4 April 2011
7:00pm Local
Melbourne Storm 30 - 16 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Tries: Duffie (2), Proctor, Neilsen, Bromwich
Goals: Smith 5/6
Field Goal
Tries: Turner, Ryan, Keating
Goals: Goodwin 2/3
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 11,592
Referee: Shayne Hayne, Gerard Sutton Report:[12]

Round 5
(Heritage Round)
10 April 2011
2:00pm local
Melbourne Storm 38 - 0 Parramatta Eels
Tries: Champion (2), Cronk, Slater, Blair, Quinn, Duffie
Goals: Smith 4/6, Widdop 1/1
Field Goal
Tries:
Goals:
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 11,805
Referee: Tony Archer , Alan Shortall Report:[13]

Round 6
17 April 2011
3:00pm local
Penrith Panthers 10 - 25 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Earl, Tahu
Goals: Gordon 1/2
Field Goal:
Tries: Cronk, Norrie, Slater, Duffie
Goals: Smith 4/5
Field Goal: Cronk 1/1
Centrebet Stadium, Penrith
Attendance: 11,137
Referee: Ben Cummins , Chris James Report:[14]

Round 7
(ANZAC Day/Easter)
25 April 2011
7:00pm local
Melbourne Storm 14 - 18 New Zealand Warriors
Tries: Champion, Cronk
Goals: Smith 3/3
Field Goal
Tries: Inu, Lillyman, Luck
Goals: Maloney 3/4
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 22,694
Referee: Shayne Hayne, Gavin Morris Report:[15]

Round 8
30 April 2011
7:30pm local
Melbourne Storm 42 - 12 Newcastle Knights
Tries: Champion, Duffie, Lowrie, Nielson, Norrie, Slater, Quinn
Goals: Smith 7/7
Field Goal
Tries: Hilder, Uate
Goals: Gidley 2/2
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 9,460
Referee: Jason Robinson, Chris James Report:[16]

Round 9
7 May 2011
7:30pm local
Brisbane Broncos 22 - 29 Melbourne Storm
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
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Attendance: 34,175
Referee: Shayne Hayne, Tony De Las Heras Report:[17]

Round 10
14 May 2011
5:30pm local
Melbourne Storm 12 - 20 Canberra Raiders
Tries: Duffie, Proctor
Goals: Smith 2/2
Field Goal:
Tries: Robinson, McCrone, Ferguson
Goals: Croker 4/4
Field Goal:
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 9,628
Referee: Gerard Sutton, Chris James Report:[18]

Round 11
. Bye .

Round 12
29 May 2011
2:00pm local
Melbourne Storm 14 - 8 Cronulla Sharks
Tries: Nielsen, Waqa
Goals: Smith 3/3
Field Goal
Tries: Gordon
Goals: Porter 2/2
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 9733
Referee: Steve Lyons, Phil Haines Report:[19]

Regular season - Rounds 13 to 26

Round 13
5 June 2011
3:00pm Local
South Sydney Rabbitohs 6 - 16 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Taylor
Goals: Sandow 1/1
Field Goal:
Tries: Blair, Bromwich, Smith
Goals: Smith 1/2, Widdop 1/1
Field Goal:
ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 11,528
Referee: Ben Cummins, Chris James Report:[20]

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

Round 15
19 June 2011
3:00pm Local
Wests Tigers 4 - 12 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Ryan
Goals: Marshall 0/1
Field Goal
Tries: Hinchcliffe, Proctor
Goals: Duffie 1/1, Smith 1/1
Field Goal
Leichhardt Oval, Balmain, New South Wales
Attendance: 20,486
Referee: Adam Devcich, Ashley Klein Report:[22]

Round 16
26 June 2011
2:00pm Local
New Zealand Warriors 8 - 16 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Hohaia
Goals: Maloney 2/2
Field Goal:
Tries: Slater (2), Widdop
Goals: Smith 2/3
Field Goal
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
Attendance: 13,362
Referee: Tony Archer, Brett Suttor Report:[23]

Round 17
. Bye .

Round 18
9 July 2011
7:30pm Local
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 18 - 28 Melbourne Storm
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
Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Attendance: 9,963
Referee: Chris James, Steve Lyons Report:[24]

Round 19
17 July 2011
2:00pm Local
Canberra Raiders 0 - 26 Melbourne Storm
Tries:
Goals:
Field Goal
Tries: Duffie (2), Bromwich, Cronk, Hinchcliffe
Goals: Widdop 0/1, Smith 3/4
Field Goal
Canberra Stadium, Canberra
Attendance: 11,853
Referee: Matt Cecchin, Adam Devcich Report:[6]

Round 20
22 July 2011
7:35pm Local
Melbourne Storm 26 - 6 Brisbane Broncos
Tries: M Blair (2), C Cronk, J O'Neill
Goals: Smith 5/5
Field Goal
Tries: Yow Yeh
Goals: Parker 1/1
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 22,912
Referee: Tony Archer, Ashley Klein Report:[25]

Round 21
1 August 2011
7:00pm Local
Parramatta Eels 18 - 22 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Maitua, Lasalo
Goals: Burt 5/5
Field Goal
Tries: Waqa, Slater, O'Neill, Nielsen
Goals: Smith 3/4
Field Goal
Parramatta Stadium, Parramatta
Attendance: 10,078
Referee: Tony De Las Heras, Steve Lyons Report:[26]

Round 22
6 August 2011
5:30pm Local
Melbourne Storm 26 - 6 Penrith Panthers
Tries: Hinchcliffe, Manu, Slater, Proctor
Goals: Smith 5/5
Field Goal
Tries: Purtell
Goals: Walsh
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 12,162
Referee: Ben Cummins, Phil Haines Report:[27]

Round 23
13 August 2011
7:30pm Local
Gold Coast Titans 16 - 40 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Michaels, Thompson, Mead
Goals: Campbell 2/4
Field Goal
Tries: Cronk (3), Slater (2), Quinn, Manu
Goals: Smith 6/7
Field Goal
Skilled Park, Gold Coast
Attendance: 11,663
Referee: Alan Shortall, Jason Robinson Report:[28]

Round 24
19 August 2011
7:35pm Local
Melbourne Storm 8 - 6 St. George Illawarra Dragons
Tries: Quinn
Goals: Smith 2/2
Field Goal
Tries: Stanley
Goals: Soward 1/1
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 24,081
Referee: Tony Archer, Matt Cecchin Report:[29]

Round 25
26 August 2011
7:35pm Local
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 18 - 4 Melbourne Storm
Tries: Williams (2), Foran
Goals: Lyon 3/4
Field Goal Cherry-Evans 0/1
Tries: Slater
Goals: Widdop 0/1
Field Goal
Brookvale Oval, Manly
Attendance: 20,414
Referee: Gavin Badger, Shayne Hayne Report:[30]

Round 26
4 September 2011
7:00pm Local
Sydney Roosters 40 - 8 Melbourne Storm
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
Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 8,753
Referee: Alan Shortall, Jason Robinson Report:[31]

Finals

Qualifying Final - Week 1
11 September 2011
4:00pm Local
Melbourne Storm 18 - 8 Newcastle Knights
Tries: Duffie, Champion, Manu
Goals: Smith 3/4
Field Goal
Tries: Gidley, Uate
Goals: Gidley 0/2
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 14,845
Referee: Ashley Klein & Adam Devcich Report:[32]

Preliminary Final - Week 3
24 September 2011
7:45pm Local
Melbourne Storm 12 - 20 New Zealand Warriors
Tries: Champion, Manu
Goals: Smith 2/2
Field Goal
Tries: Brown, Maloney, Tupou
Goals: Maloney 4/4
Field Goal
AAMI Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 28,580
Referee: Tony Archer, Matt Cecchin Report:[33]

Ladders

2011 NRL Telstra Premiership
Pos. Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Melbourne Storm 2419-5252130821342
2 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (P) 2418-6253933120840
3 Brisbane Broncos 2418-6251137213940
4 Wests Tigers 2415-925194308934
5 St. George Illawarra Dragons 241419248334114233
6 New Zealand Warriors 2414-10250439311132
7 North Queensland Cowboys 2414-1025324805232
8 Newcastle Knights 2412-1224784433528
9 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 2412-122449489-4028
10 South Sydney Rabbitohs 2411-132531562-3126
11 Sydney Roosters 2410-142417500-8324
12 Penrith Panthers 249-152430517-8722
13 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 247-172428557-12918
14 Parramatta Eels 2461172385538-15317
15 Canberra Raiders 246-182423623-20016
16 Gold Coast Titans 246-182363629-26616
Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 New Zealand 2419142851494+35743
2 North Queensland 2417072758509+24938
3 Cronulla-Sutherland 2416172707600+10737
4 Melbourne 2416082678517+16136
5 Sydney 2415182639523+11635
6 Canterbury-Bankstown 24140102659458+20132
7 Wests 24122102607529+7830
8 Newcastle 24121112638660-2229
9 Brisbane 24112112752551+20128
10 Penrith 24120122558709-15128
11 St. George Illawarra 24102122562594-3226
12 Parramatta 24101132547556-925
13 Canberra 2481152683749-6621
14 Gold Coast 2451182467779-31215
15 South Sydney 2441192454881-42713
16 Manly-Warringah 2440202432843-41112

2011 squad

No. Nat. Player Pos First match with Club Previous club
55 Cameron Smith (c) HK 2002 Melbourne Storm
60 Billy Slater FB 2003 Melbourne Storm
73 Cooper Cronk HB 2004 Melbourne Storm
86 Adam Blair PR 2006 Melbourne Storm
93 Anthony Quinn WG 2007 Newcastle Knights
99 Sika Manu SR 2007 Melbourne Storm
105 Dane Nielsen CE 2008 Cronulla Sharks
106 Kevin Proctor SR 2008 Melbourne Storm
110 Ryan Hinchcliffe HK,LK 2009 Canberra Raiders
116 Luke Kelly FE,HB 2009 Melbourne Storm
119 Jesse Bromwich PR 2010 Melbourne Storm
120 Rory Kostjasyn HK,LK 2010 Melbourne Storm
121 Luke MacDougall WG 2010 Newcastle Knights
122 Todd Lowrie SR,LK 2010 Newcastle Knights
123 Bryan Norrie PR 2010 Cronulla Sharks
124 Matt Duffie WG 2010 Melbourne Storm
125 Gareth Widdop FE,FB 2010 Melbourne Storm
126 Chase Stanley CE 2010 St George Illawarra Dragons
127 Justin O'Neill CE 2010 Melbourne Storm
128 Robbie Rochow SR 2010 Melbourne Storm
129 Sione Kite PR 2010 Canterbury Bulldogs
130 Jaiman Lowe PR 2011 South Sydney Rabbitohs
131 Troy Thompson PR 2011 Canberra Raiders
132 Beau Champion CE 2011 South Sydney Rabbitohs
133 Atelea Vea CE 2011 Cronulla Sharks
134 Adam Woolnough PR 2011 Penrith Panthers
135 Maurice Blair CE, FE 2011 Penrith Panthers
136 Sisa Waqa WG 2011 Sydney Roosters
137 Dane Chisholm FE 2011 Melbourne Storm
138 Jack Afamasaga SR 2011 Cronulla Sharks
- Elijah Niko SR Yet to Debut Melbourne Storm
- Slade Griffen HK Yet to Debut Melbourne Storm
- Jake Hawkins FE Yet to Debut Melbourne Storm
- Kirisome Auva'a CE Yet to Debut Melbourne Storm
- Jordan McLean PR Yet to Debut Melbourne Storm

Awards

Trophy Cabinet

Melbourne Storm Awards Night

Dally M Awards Night

RLIF Awards

Additional Awards

References

  1. "History Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. "The Bai Stand - View topic - 'Platinum' Melbourne Storm Jersey v Broncos (22 July 2011)". Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  3. "Storm announce major sponsorship with Crown - Melbourne Storm". Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  4. "Suzuki drives forward with Storm - Melbourne Storm". Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  5. "Makita drills in their support for Storm - Melbourne Storm". Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  6. Rugby League | Canberra Raiders | Melbourne Storm
  7. Jackson, Glenn (27 August 2011). "Battle of Brookie set to take toll on big guns' title assault". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  8. Rugby League Tables / Season 2011
  9. "2011 Match Centre - NRL.com". Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  10. Ruthless Storm spoil Preston's party - NRL.com
  11. "2011 Match Centre - NRL.com". Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  12. Angry Dogs lick their wounds after being set upon by rejuvenated Storm pack
  13. Storm hits peak with ominous look for rivals
  14. Melbourne Storm too good for Penrith Panthers | Herald Sun
  15. Bellamy accuses players of a half-hearted effort on day reserved for warriors
  16. Cronk in Test mix as Gids damages shoulder
  17. Brave Broncos fall short | Courier Mail
  18. Canberra Raiders upset Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park | Herald Sun
  19. Cronulla gallant but season now on line | Courier Mail
  20. Rugby League | NRL | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Melbourne Storm
  21. Melbourne Storm bt Sydney Roosters | NRL Rugby League | Photos
  22. Rugby League | Wests Tigers | Melbourne Storm
  23. Rugby League | New Zealand Warriors | Melbourne Storm
  24. NRL Game Report | Live Scores and Breakdowns | thetelegraph.com.au
  25. Broncos get reality check | Courier Mail
  26. Melbourne Storm pull off amazing comeback to down Parramatta Eels 22-18 | thetelegraph.com.au
  27. Melbourne Storm blow away Panthers | Herald Sun
  28. Cooper's triple treat in Storm cakewalk | Herald Sun
  29. Storm beat Dragons in tight tussle | Herald Sun
  30. Manly maintain unbeaten home record with gutsy win over Melbourne | Herald Sun
  31. Craig Bellamy says freshened Melbourne Storm will be fine for finals | Herald Sun
  32. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/live-storm-v-knights/story-e6frexnr-1226134153327
  33. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/live-warriors-v-storm/story-e6frf9if-1226145402828
  34. "NRL Honour Board". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
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