2024 review: Melbourne Storm

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Beth Nicholls recaps a Melbourne Storm season where they fell excruciatingly short of the ultimate prize.

Melbourne Storm Season 2024: so close yet so far.

Finishing the season as minor premiers, the Storm had a lot of success to celebrate across 2024, and were consistently one of the best sides in the competition. They tallied a total of 19 wins and five losses, which also put  them two wins above three time reigning premiers, the Panthers.

Melbourne's season started on a high, with Bellamy keeping his Round 1 winning record intact, and the side beating all odds to not only claim victory against Penrith, but also keep them scoreless for the opening round of the season.

However, this strong start slightly fractured Round 3, with the side losing to the Knights away from home, with a late comeback on the cards with a try in the 75th minute, but not enough to get over the 14-12 score line.

After a Round 4 bye, the next three rounds were close wins, with Storm only winning by less than six points each time, but a win is a win they say, so they kept strong on their ladder position, sitting just behind the Sharks, in second place at the end of Round 7.

ANZAC Round saw the Storm host the Rabbitohs, where they gave them an absolute thrashing, with Melbourne scoring 50+ points for the first time in 2024, with the game ending 54-20.

Round 10 saw the Storm be beaten by the Sharks, after Harry Grant was controversially sin-binned for contact on the kicker. The seven point loss was the club's biggest loss margin for the season.

But very quickly the side bounced back, beating the Eels during Magic Round quite comfortably, 48-16.

Origin period and injury concerns to Cameron Munster and Ryan Papenhuyzen could not stop this Melbourne side, with the side not recording a loss between Round 14 to Round 22. The Storm were emerging as favourites to take home it all come October.

In the home stretch of the last five rounds, the Storm won all but one, where they decided to rest many key players when playing the Cowboys in Townsville in Round 26, a move that some questioned and others thought were smart. In this run to the end, Melbourne comfortably defeated the Dolphins, Broncos and Rabbitohs, as well as denying Penrith their second opportunity at winning during 2024.

With Melbourne securing the Minor Premiership three weeks before the end of the season, they were guaranteed a home final, where they showed what they could do against the Sharks, putting on a masterclass with a 37-10 defeat. Fresh after a week off, the Storm came up against the Roosters, and the spine absolutely lit up, with Papenhuyzen, Hughes and Munster all scoring doubles. Conquering them 48-18, the Storm were right on the doorstep of the premiership title...

And then it all came crashing, but it was so silent.

There wasn't one singular moment in the Grand Final that defined the loss, and there wasn't a moment where they were winning and then it fell out of their grasp. It was just a completely out of character performance, with Penrith just too practised and clinical to do anything but win.

Turning Point

After beating Penrith for the second time in Round 24, it was very clear that Melbourne would be the only side capable of getting the job done on the big stage (although time proved this wrong).

As the season went on, there were times where the Panthers physically looked like they were nearing the end of their fifth season being the best of the best. Whereas Melbourne were playing with fire and were looking for something to prove. This win convinced many that maybe this was the Storm's year, and that it was crunch time across the next two months.

What worked

2024 Melbourne Storm were a defensive weapon, only succumbing to loss five times (excluding the Grand Final), and of these five losses they were all lost by seven points or less.

The depth of the club was proven yet again, and that even without their star players, the show goes on. Throughout the 2024 season the core spine of Munster, Papenhuyzen, Hughes and Grant only played ten games together in the regular season. Younger talent, Sua Faalogo, Jonah Pezet and Tyran Wishart, excelled and proved their places in the Melbourne side.

What failed

Literally just the Grand Final.

They had the season for the highlights reel, with win after win, and so much champagne rugby league across the season. But they hit that big stage and they lacked so much luster, and it was like watching a different team on that field. They were heavily favoured to take out the premiership title, but the performance they put on was below standard for the club, and leaves an ink blot on such a remarkable and almost-perfect season.

2024 week-by-week

Season's best

Having one of his best seasons yet, Jahrome Hughes was an absolute standout for the Storm, which saw him win Storm POTY and be crowned Dally M medalist. This season saw him score twelve tries and make 26 try assists, which makes his equal most tries scored in a season, and his best try assists count.

Hughes played a big role in the Storm spine, and played one of his best seasons to date, with some of his best potential really flourishing out on the field.

Rookies

Despite making his debut in 2022, Grant Anderson only played four games in 2022 and 2023, compared to his fourteen total across the 2024 season. Filling in for various players at both wing and centre, Anderson had a pretty nice season, scoring eight tries and making three try assists. In mid-2024, the club announced that he had signed a one year extension to see him stay until the end of 2025, though he is up against much competition to keep an ongoing spot in the team.

Alongside Anderson, Sua Faalogo had an outstanding season, which came after a debut for the ages in 2023 Round 27, scoring a double against the Broncos. 2024 saw him play both wing, fullback and off the bench, playing for a total of fourteen games, scoring eight tries and making three try assists. With the future of Papenhuyzen hanging in the air for beyond 2024, Faalogo could potentially be Melbourne's starting fullback in the near future.

2024 player record

Season snapshot

Coach: Craig Bellamy
Captains: Harry Grant (23), Jahrome Hughes (3), Ryan Papenhuyzen (1)

Biggest home crowd: 29,213 (vs. Sydney in Prelim Final)
Average home crowd: 21,067

Top pointscorer: Nick Meaney (234)
Top tryscorer: Will Warbrick (15)

Club awards

Cameron Smith Player of the Year Award Presented By RedZed: Jahrome Hughes
Young Tonumaipea Harold Matthews U17's Player of The Year: Waka Hammond
Greg Brentall SG Ball U19's Player of the Year: Chase Paterson
Junior Representatives Player of the Year: Hugo Peel
Darren Bell Jersey Flegg U21's Player of the Year: Angus Hinchey
Melbourne Storm Academy Player of the Year: Coby Williamson
Cooper Cronk Feeder Club Player of the Year: Lazarus Vaalepu
Chairman's Award: Andrew McGuinness
Best Try Award Presented by Grill'd: Xavier Coates
Most Improved Player Award Presented By TRADIE: Trent Loiero
Billy Slater Rookie of the Year Award: Jack Howarth
RedZed Members Player of the Year Award:  Jahrome Hughes
Michael Moore Trophy ‘Club Person of the Year' Award: Ross Patison
Best Forward of the Year Award: Harry Grant
Best Back of the Year Award: Will Warbrick

Looking ahead

Craig Bellamy extended again for the 2025 season during 2024, which makes the Melbourne reign look ever so bright. The Storm were many steps ahead the rest of the competition throughout the whole home-and-away season, they just struggled to get the job done on the stage that counted, the Grand Final.

So if 2024 saw the Storm go one step further from 2023 and make the Grand Final as well as being Minor Prems, does that mean in 2025 they are destined to win the Premiership?

Best side in 2025

based on current signings at the time of writing

1. Ryan Papenhuyzen
2. Will Warbrick
3. Jack Howarth
4. Nick Meaney
5. Xaiver Coates
6. Cameron Munster
7. Jahrome Hughes
8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona
9. Harry Grant (C)
10. Josh King
11. Shawn Blore
12. Eliesa Katoa
13. Trent Loiero

14. Tyran Wishart
15. Stefano Utoikamanu
16. Tui Kamikamica
17. Grant Anderson/Alec Macdonald/Sua Faalogo