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2006 Melbourne Storm season

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2006 Melbourne Storm season
NRL Rank1st
Play-off resultRunner Up
2006 recordWins: 20; draws: 0; losses: 4
Points scoredFor: 605; against: 404
Team information
CEOBrian Waldron
CoachCraig Bellamy
Captain
StadiumOlympic Park
Avg. attendance10,853[a]
High attendance15,479 (Round 18)
Top scorers
TriesGreg Inglis (18)
Steve Turner (18)
GoalsCameron Smith (79)
PointsCameron Smith (178)
← 2005 List of seasons 2007 →

The 2006 Melbourne Storm season was the 9th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2006 Telstra Premiership, winning a record 20 out of 24 regular season games to finish in first place and win the minor premiership, eight points clear of the second-placed Bulldogs. The team backed up their stellar defensive effort the previous year to concede just 404 points in 2006. The retirement of Robbie Kearns saw a rotating captaincy introduced between David Kidwell, Scott Hill, Cameron Smith, Matt Geyer and Michael Crocker. Cooper Cronk also assumed the halfback duties following the departure of Matt Orford. Storm won 13 of their last 14 games of the season to take a great run of form into the finals where they progressed to reach their first Grand Final since 1999 after wins over the Eels and Dragons. This broke a run of three straight semi-final exits for Craig Bellamy’s team.

Melbourne fell just short in the decider against Brisbane however the platform had now been built for a sustained run of success. The Storm's Queensland trio of Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith and Antonio Kaufusi were selected to make their international debuts for Australia in 2006. Post-season the Storm farewelled Nathan Friend and Jake Webster (Gold Coast Titans), David Kidwell (South Sydney) and Scott Hill (Harlequins Rugby League).[1]

Season Summary

[edit]
  • 7 February – Following the retirement of previous captain Robbie Kearns, the club elected six players to rotate the on-field captaincy. Michael Crocker, Matt Geyer, Scott Hill, David Kidwell, Dennis Scott, and Cameron Smith, were chosen for the honour after coach Craig Bellamy consulted with Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos who used a similar set up.[2]
  • Round 1 – Melbourne retain the Michael Moore Trophy win a 22-16 win over New Zealand Warriors. Greg Inglis provides the spark for the Storm with an early try.[3]
  • Round 2 – Up 22-0 soon after half time, Melbourne deny a second half comeback from Sydney Roosters to hold on to a 22-18 victory.[3]
  • Round 4 – Scott Hill and Billy Slater find themselves facing the NRL Judiciary due to separate incidents in Melbourne's 30-28 loss to Wests Tigers. Hill accepts a two-match suspension for laying a hand on referee Jason Robinson; while Slater attempts to get a downgrade on a serious kicking charge after lashing out at John Skandalis. His plea was unsuccessful and Slater was suspended for seven matches.
  • Round 6 – Melbourne play their first ever game in Adelaide, South Australia as Penrith Panthers move their home game to Hindmarsh Stadium in the first rugby league game at the venue since 1998. A controversial try to Greg Inglis awarded by video referee Phil Cooley sparked a Storm surge to a 40-18 win.[3]
  • Round 7 – Following the completion of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Melbourne play their first home game of the season at Olympic Park, celebrating their return with a thumping 52-6 win over Newcastle Knights. Inglis, filling in for the suspended Slater at fullback, scores two tries for the match with the first coming in the opening 60 seconds of the game.[3]
  • 2 May – Dennis Scott announced his retirement from rugby league due to ongoing injury problems, including neck injury. He had yet to play in the NRL during the season, only making three appearances for Storm feeder club Norths Devils.[4]
  • Round 9 – A dangerous tackle by Michael Crocker on Shane Rigon sees the Melbourne forward suspended for nine matches, including the 2006 State of Origin series. Melbourne are later hit with a $15,000 fine by the NRL for comments made by CEO Brian Waldron, coach Craig Bellamy and Crocker after the judiciary decision.[3]
  • Round 12 – Penrith second-rower Frank Pritchard accuses Ian Donnelly of eye-gouging during Melbourne's golden point 17-16 victory. Pritchard failure to make an on-field complaint and a lack of video evidence sees the matter dropped, with Donnelly accepting a one-match suspension for contrary conduct charge (grapple tackle).[3] The golden point win is Melbourne's first ever victory in extra time, coming in just the club's second game to go past 80 minutes since 2003.
  • 1 June – New NRL franchise Gold Coast Titans announces the signing of Melbourne winger Steve Turner, sparking a tug-o-war between the clubs who both claim Turner will be playing for them in 2007.[3]
  • Round 13 – A sickening spear tackle by Lopini Paea on Melbourne's Ben Cross is the lowlight in Melbourne's 20-16 win over Sydney Roosters at Olympic Park. Paea later is suspended for 10 matches by the NRL Judiciary. A double by Greg Inglis was Melbourne's highlight, however Billy Slater again found himself in trouble, this time receiving a two-match suspension for a dangerous throw.[3]
  • Round 14 – Melbourne claimed the outright competition lead for the first time since 1998, defeating Parramatta Eels 34-22. An accusation that Fuifui Moimoi had bitten Brett White was dismissed by the NRL Judiciary due to lack of video evidence, while no Melbourne players were cited for dangerous tackles despite the protests from Parramatta players.[3]
  • Round 15 – A 22-2 first half blitz saw Melbourne cruise home to a 22-12 victory over Canberra Raiders, but the scoreless second half concerned coach Craig Bellamy.[3]
  • Round 16 – Trailing 12-10 with seconds remaining, Melbourne came from the clouds to defeat bogey team Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16-12 to maintain their unbeaten run at Olympic Park. A speculative kick from Cooper Cronk bounced perfectly for Ryan Hoffman who passed inside for Jake Webster to score the try as time expired.[3]
  • 1 July – Young winger Jake Webster is announced as a new signing by Gold Coast Titans.[3]
  • Round 18 – In front of the biggest Olympic Park crowd in six years (15,479), Melbourne defeat Brisbane Broncos 10-4, with Billy Slater returning to the line-up following his suspensions and stints with feeder clubs Norths Devils and North Sydney Bears.[3]
  • Round 20 – Club stalwart Matt Geyer celebrates his 200th game for the club in style, converting the last try in a 28-12 win over Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Geyer is chaired from the ground by Cameron Smith and Antonio Kaufusi.[3]
  • 23 July – The Sunday Telegraph reports that Melbourne has signed retired former captain Robbie Kearns to a $2 playing contract in case of injuries.[3]
  • 1 August – Chris Walker is released by Melbourne for "personal reasons". Walker had played seven games for the club after crossing from Sydney Roosters.[5]
  • Round 22 – Jake Webster equals the individual club record for tries in a game, scoring four tries in Melbourne's 46-4 thumping of Wests Tigers.[6]
  • Round 23 – A crowd of over 40,000 (the biggest attendance at a Melbourne fixture since the 1999 NRL Grand Final) witness a high-quality contest between the Storm and Broncos, with Melbourne fighting back from a 10-0 halftime deficit to win 18-12 at Suncorp Stadium. The victory is Melbourne's 11th in-a-row, a new club record. Michael Crocker is again sent to the NRL Judiciary for a dangerous tackle, and is suspended for two matches.
  • 15 August – Despite agreeing to a three-year contract for an impending move to the Gold Coast, Steve Turner claims he had changed his mind and re-signs with Melbourne on a similar deal. Gold Coast management threaten to enforce the contract with Turner and force him to sit out of the game if he does not comply with his original deal.[3]
  • Round 24 – Melbourne's winning streak is ended at 11 by the New Zealand Warriors in a shock 24-20 defeat at Olympic Park. Two tries to Brent Webb, including a controversial late try, was the difference as the Warriors took home the Michael Moore Trophy, their first win at Olympic Park since 2002.
  • 20 August – Foundation Storm player Scott Hill announces he will be leaving the club at the end of the 2006 season, taking up an offer to play in the Super League with Harlequins.[3]
  • 5 September – Cameron Smith is awarded the Dally M Medal, winning the medal by four points. Smith is the first Melbourne player to win the game's official best and fairest award. Craig Bellamy is named coach of the year.
  • 14 September – The Australian reports that the Australian Rugby Union have targeted Greg Inglis as their next high-profile rugby league recruit.[3]
  • 17 September – Steve Turner reveals he is prepared to take legal action against Gold Coast Titans in order to remain with Melbourne Storm in 2007.[3]
  • Round 26 – Melbourne is presented with the J. J. Giltinan Shield as NRL minor premiers for the first time. Melbourne's 20 wins see them eight points clear on top of the NRL ladder.
  • Qualifying Final – Melbourne ride their luck in the second half of their qualifying final against Parramatta Eels, taking a tight 12-6 victory. After leading 12-0 at half time, a 'no try' ruling against Glenn Morrison 11 minutes into the second half sparked a Parramatta comeback, with Melbourne having to hold off the eighth-placed Eels in a tense finish.[3]
  • Preliminary Final – Melbourne advance to the 2006 NRL Grand Final with a 24-10 win over St George Illawarra Dragons at Telstra Stadium. The win comes at a cost with Michael Crocker sustaining a serious knee injury.[3]
  • Grand Final – In the first Grand Final to feature two teams from outside New South Wales, Brisbane thwart Melbourne's bid for a second NRL premiership in a grinding 15-8 win, featuring a number of controversial calls by referee Paul Simpkins and video referee Bill Harrigan. A brilliant run and pass from Scott Hill set up Steve Turner for the first try of the game, with Hill also providing the last pass for Melbourne's second try through Matt King to level the scores at 8-8.
  • 2 October – Television ratings figures for the Grand Final indicate that more people watched the game in Melbourne than they did in Sydney. Official figures indicate that the average audience in Melbourne was 903,000.[3]
  • 4 October – Matt King is slapped with a $5,000 fine by the NRL for calling Paul Simpkins a "dickhead" at a club fan day after the Grand Final.[3]
  • 20 November – The contractual saga involving Steve Turner reaches a climax as Gold Coast Titans CEO Michael Searle saying that they are willing to offer Turner a release after one season if he is unhappy with the new club.

Milestone games

[edit]
Round Player Milestone
Round 1 Garret Crossman Storm debut
Round 1 Michael Crocker Storm debut
Round 3 Chris Walker Storm debut
Round 4 Adam Blair NRL debut
Round 6 Matt King 50th game
Round 6 David Kidwell 150th game
Round 9 Ian Donnelly 50th game
Round 11 Smith Samau NRL debut
Round 12 Ben Cross Storm debut
Round 13 Matt Geyer 200th game
Round 14 Matthew Bartlett NRL debut
Round 19 Cooper Cronk 50th game
Round 21 Michael Crocker 100th game
Round 24 Jeff Lima Storm debut
Grand Final Scott Hill 200th game

Jerseys

[edit]

Continuing with apparel manufacturer Reebok, the designs of Melbourne's home and clash jerseys were unchanged from 2005. Corporate partner Medibank Private upgraded their sponsorship to be the chest advertiser, while Mortgage House replaced them as jersey sleeve advertiser. Hostplus was a new advertiser on the rear of the jerseys, with their logo appearing above and below the player's numbers for the first time.

Fixtures

[edit]

Pre Season

[edit]
Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
11 February Trial Parramatta Eels Kingsford Smith Park, Ballina Won 38 18 C Cronk (2), B Slater, S Turner, M Geyer, C Walker, J Webster G Inglis (3), C Smith (2) [7]
18 February Trial Parramatta Eels Exies Oval, Griffith Lost 24 30 G Inglis (2), C Wilkie, A Blair G Inglis (4) [8][9][10]
25 February Trial Brisbane Broncos Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba Won 58 10 B Slater (2), G Inglis (2), S Hill (2), M Geyer, C Cronk, J Webster, D Kidwell, C Smith G Inglis (4), C Smith (3) [11][12]

Regular season

[edit]

Result by round

[edit]
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
GroundAAAA–AHHAHAHHAHH–HAHAHAHAH
ResultWWLLBWWWWWLWWWWWBWWWWWWLWW
Position636108622213221111111111111
Points2444681012141616182022242628303234363840404244
Source: Rugby League Tables
A = Away; H = Home; N = Neutral; B = Bye; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

[edit]

Source:[13]

Date Rd Opponent Venue Result Mel. Opp. Tries Goals Field goals Ref
12 March 1 New Zealand Warriors Ericsson Stadium, Auckland Won 22 16 M Geyer (2), G Inglis, C Smith, S Turner G Inglis 1/4, C Smith 0/1 [14]
19 March 2 Sydney Roosters Aussie Stadium, Sydney Won 22 18 C Cronk, R Hoffman, G Inglis, S Turner C Smith 3/4 [15]
25 March 3 North Queensland Cowboys Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville Lost 8 40 M Geyer, J Webster C Smith 0/2 [16]
2 April 4 Wests Tigers Leichhardt Oval, Sydney Lost 28 30 B Slater (2), C Cronk, R Hoffman, G Inglis C Smith 4/5 [17]
8 April 5 Bye
15 April 6 Penrith Panthers Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide Won 40 18 G Inglis (3), M Crocker, R Hoffman, M King, C Smith C Smith 6/8 [18]
22 April 7 Newcastle Knights Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 52 6 G Inglis (2), S Turner (2), M Geyer, A Kaufusi, D Kidwell, M King, J Webster C Smith 8/10 [19]
29 April 8 St George Illawarra Dragons Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 24 10 J Webster (2), I Donnelly, S Turner C Smith 4/6 [20]
6 May 9 South Sydney Rabbitohs Telstra Stadium, Sydney Won 38 14 M Crocker, M Geyer, G Inglis, C Smith, J Smith, C Walker C Smith 7/8 [21]
13 May 10 North Queensland Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 18 6 D Kidwell, M King, C Smith C Smith 3/4 [22]
20 May 11 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Brookvale Oval, Sydney Lost 12 34 M Geyer, S Turner M Geyer 2/2 [23]
28 May 12 Penrith Panthers Olympic Park, Melbourne Won
(g.p.)		 17 16 M Geyer, G Inglis, J Webster M Geyer 1/1, C Smith 1/2 C Cronk [24]
3 June 13 Sydney Roosters Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 20 16 G Inglis (2), S Turner, J Webster C Smith 2/4 [25]
11 June 14 Parramatta Eels Parramatta Stadium, Sydney Won 34 22 J Webster (3), C Cronk, M Geyer, R Hoffman, S Turner M Geyer 2/5, C Walker 1/1 [26]
18 June 15 Canberra Raiders Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 22 12 D Kidwell (2), R Hoffman, C Walker C Smith 3/4 [27]
23 June 16 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 16 12 J Webster (2), A Kaufusi C Smith 2/3 [28]
1 July 17 Bye
7 July 18 Brisbane Broncos Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 10 4 R Hoffman, S Turner C Smith 1/4 [29]
16 July 19 Newcastle Knights EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle Won 24 16 C Cronk, R Hoffman, B Slater, J Smith C Smith 4/4 [30]
21 July 20 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 28 12 B Slater (2), C Cronk, R Hoffman, D Johnson C Smith 3/4, M Geyer 1/1 [31]
30 July 21 St George Illawarra Dragons OKI Jubilee Stadium, Sydney Won 34 24 M King (2), C Cronk, R Hoffman, G Inglis, S Turner C Smith 5/7 [32]
5 August 22 Wests Tigers Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 46 4 J Webster (4), S Turner 2, M Geyer, G Inglis C Smith 6/8, G Inglis 1/1 [33]
13 August 23 Brisbane Broncos Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane Won 18 12 C Cronk, M King, S Turner C Smith 3/3 [34]
19 August 24 New Zealand Warriors Olympic Park, Melbourne Lost 20 24 M Geyer, G Inglis, M King, S Turner C Smith 2/4 [35]
26 August 25 Canberra Raiders Canberra Stadium, Canberra Won 22 18 R Hoffman, G Inglis, D Johnson, M King C Smith 3/4 [36]
2 September 26 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Olympic Park, Melbourne Won 30 20 M Crocker, M Geyer, G Inglis, C Smith, S Turner C Smith 4/6, M Geyer 1/1 [37]

Finals

[edit]
Qualifying final
10 September 2006
16:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm 12 – 6 Parramatta Eels
Tries: 2
Kaufusi rugby ball
Turner rugby ball
Goals: 2
C Smith rugby goalposts icon (2/2)
 1st: 12–0
2nd: 0–6
Report
 Tries: 1
Wagon rugby ball
Goals: 1
Burt rugby goalposts icon (1/1)
Olympic Park, Melbourne
Attendance: 15,690[38]
Referee: Steve Clark
Preliminary final
23 September 2006
19:45 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm 24 – 10 St George Illawarra Dragons
Tries: 4
Inglis rugby ball
Kaufusi rugby ball
King rugby ball
Turner rugby ball
Goals: 4
C Smith rugby goalposts icon (3/3)
Geyer rugby goalposts icon (1/1)
 1st: 12–6
2nd: 12–4
Report
 Tries: 2
Cooper rugby ball
B Morris rugby ball
Goals: 1
Gorrell rugby goalposts icon (1/1)
Head (0/1)
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 40,901[39]
Referee: Steve Clark
Main article: 2006 NRL Grand Final
2006 NRL Grand Final
Sunday, 1 October
19:00 AEST (UTC+10)
Melbourne Storm 8 – 15 Brisbane Broncos
Tries: 2
Turner rugby ball 14'
King rugby ball 49'
Goals:
C Smith (0/1)
Geyer (0/1)
 1st: 4–8
2nd: 4–7
Report
 Tries: 2
Hodges rugby ball 19'
Tate rugby ball 62'
Goals: 3
Lockyer rugby goalposts icon pen 9', 20' (2/2)
Parker rugby goalposts icon pen 60' (1/2)
Field goals: 1
Lockyer rugby goalposts icon 73'
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 79,609[40]
Referee: Paul Simpkins
Touch judges: Rod Lawrence, Steve Carrall
Clive Churchill Medal: Shaun Berrigan (Brisbane)


Ladder

[edit]
Main article: 2006 NRL season
2006 NRL season
Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
1 Melbourne Storm 24 20 0 4 2 605 404 +201 441
2 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 24 16 0 8 2 608 468 +140 36
3 Brisbane Broncos (P) 24 14 0 10 2 497 392 +105 32
4 Newcastle Knights 24 14 0 10 2 608 538 +70 32
5 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 24 14 0 10 2 534 493 +41 32
6 St George Illawarra Dragons 24 14 0 10 2 519 481 +38 32
7 Canberra Raiders 24 13 0 11 2 525 573 -48 30
8 Parramatta Eels 24 12 0 12 2 506 483 +23 28
9 North Queensland Cowboys 24 11 0 13 2 450 463 -13 26
10 New Zealand Warriors 24 12 0 12 2 552 463 +89 242
11 Wests Tigers 24 10 0 14 2 490 565 -75 24
12 Penrith Panthers 24 10 0 14 2 510 587 -77 24
13 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 24 9 0 15 2 515 544 -29 22
14 Sydney Roosters 24 8 0 16 2 528 650 -122 20
15 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 3 0 21 2 429 772 -343 10

1 The Melbourne Storm were later stripped of this minor premiership due to gross salary cap breaches.
2 The New Zealand Warriors were deducted 4 competition points due to gross salary cap breaches.

2006 Coaching Staff

[edit]

2006 Squad

[edit]

List current as of 28 September 2021

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm players
Cap [b] Nat. Player name Position First Storm Game Previous First Grade RL club [c]
6 Australia Scott Hill FE, LK 1998 Australia Hunter Mariners
18 Australia Matt Geyer WG 1998 Australia Perth Reds
37 New Zealand Glen Turner SR 2000 Australia Melbourne Storm
55 Australia Cameron Smith (c) HK 2002 Australia Melbourne Storm
58 Australia Billy Slater FB 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
59 New Zealand David Kidwell SR, LK 2003 Australia Sydney Roosters
60 Australia Dallas Johnson SR, LK 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
61 New Zealand Jake Webster WG 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
62 Australia Ryan Hoffman SR, LK 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
67 Australia Nathan Friend HK 2003 Australia Brisbane Broncos
68 Australia Antonio Kaufusi PR 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
69 Australia Matt King CE 2003 Australia Melbourne Storm
72 Australia Steve Turner FB, WG 2004 Australia Penrith Panthers
73 Australia Cooper Cronk HB 2004 Australia Melbourne Storm
74 New Zealand Jeremy Smith LK 2004 Australia Melbourne Storm
75 Australia Dennis Scott SR 2005 Australia Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
76 Australia Brett White PR 2005 Australia Melbourne Storm
77 Australia Ian Donnelly PR 2005 Australia Manly Sea Eagles
79 Australia Greg Inglis FE, CE, 2005 Australia Melbourne Storm
80 Australia Jamie Feeney SR, LK 2005 Australia Canterbury Bulldogs
81 Australia Michael Crocker SR, LK 2006 Australia Sydney Roosters
83 Australia Garrett Crossman PR 2006 Australia Penrith Panthers
85 Australia Chris Walker WG 2006 Australia Sydney Roosters
86 New Zealand Adam Blair SR, PR 2006 Australia Melbourne Storm
87 Samoa Smith Samau FB, WG 2006 Australia Melbourne Storm
88 Australia Ben Cross PR 2006 Australia Melbourne Storm
89 Australia Matthew Bartlett SR 2006 Australia Melbourne Storm
90 New Zealand Jeff Lima PR, LK 2006 Australia Wests Tigers
- New Zealand Ryan Shortland FE, CE Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
- Australia James Aubusson FE, HK Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
- Australia Scott Anderson PR Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
- Samoa Sam Tagataese SR, PR Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm
- Australia Jackson Nicolau FE Yet to Debut Australia Melbourne Storm

Player movements

[edit]

Representative honours

[edit]

This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2006.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm representatives
Player 2006 ANZAC Test City vs Country Origin State of Origin 1 State of Origin 2 State of Origin 3 Tri-Nations
Adam Blair — — — — — New Zealand
Matt Geyer — City — — — —
Ryan Hoffman — City — — — —
Greg Inglis — — Queensland — — Australia
Dallas Johnson — — Queensland Queensland Queensland —
Antonio Kaufusi — — — — — Australia
David Kidwell New Zealand — — — — New Zealand
Matt King Australia — New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales Australia
Cameron Smith — — Queensland Queensland Queensland Australia
Jake Webster New Zealand — — — — —
Brett White — Country — — — —

Statistics

[edit]

This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2006 NRL season.

Further information: List of Melbourne Storm records
Name Appearances Tries Goals Field goals Points
Matthew Bartlett 1 0 0 0 0
Adam Blair 16 0 0 0 0
Michael Crocker 13 3 0 0 12
Cooper Cronk 27 7 0 1 29
Ben Cross 9 0 0 0 0
Garret Crossman 21 0 0 0 0
Ian Donnelly 14 1 0 0 4
Jamie Feeney 8 0 0 0 0
Nathan Friend 21 0 0 0 0
Matt Geyer 27 11 8 0 60
Scott Hill 24 0 0 0 0
Ryan Hoffman 27 10 0 0 40
Greg Inglis 19 18 2 0 76
Dallas Johnson 23 2 0 0 8
Antonio Kaufusi 25 4 0 0 16
David Kidwell 26 4 0 0 16
Matt King 21 10 0 0 40
Jeff Lima 1 0 0 0 0
Smith Samau 1 0 0 0 0
Billy Slater 15 5 0 0 20
Cameron Smith 25 5 79 0 178
Jeremy Smith 19 2 0 0 8
Steve Turner 27 18 0 0 72
Chris Walker 7 2 1 0 10
Jake Webster 18 15 0 0 60
Brett White 24 0 0 0 0
26 players used — 117 90 1 649

Scorers

[edit]

Most points in a game: 18 points

  • Round 9 – Cameron Smith (1 try, 7 goals) vs South Sydney

Most tries in a game: 4

  • Round 22 – Jake Webster vs Wests Tigers

Winning games

[edit]

Highest score in a winning game: 52 points

  • Round 7 vs Newcastle Knights

Lowest score in a winning game: 10 points

  • Round 18 vs Brisbane Broncos

Greatest winning margin: 46 points

  • Round 7 vs Newcastle Knights

Greatest number of games won consecutively: 11

  • Round 12 – Round 23

Losing games

[edit]

Highest score in a losing game: 28 points

  • Round 4 vs Wests Tigers

Lowest score in a losing game: 8 points

  • Round 3 vs North Queensland Cowboys
  • Grand Final vs Brisbane Broncos

Greatest losing margin: 32 points

  • Round 3 vs North Queensland Cowboys

Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 2

  • Round 3 – Round 4

Feeder Teams

[edit]

For a second season, Melbourne split their reserve players between two feeder clubs. The agreement with Norths Devils continued for a ninth season, with players who were dual-registered in Queensland travelling to Brisbane each week to play with the Devils in the Queensland Cup. Some players travelled to Sydney to play with foundation New South Wales Rugby League club North Sydney Bears in the NSWRL Premier League. The 2006 season would be the final season of this arrangement, with Melbourne ending the affiliation with North Sydney after the season.

The Devils missed the Queensland Cup finals for the first time since 2003, while the Bears coached by Josh White, finished 12th and missed the finals. Both teams featured a rare appearance by Billy Slater following his return from a second suspension during the NRL season.[44]

Main article: 2006 Queensland Cup
2006 Queensland Cup
Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
7 Norths Devils 20 8 1 11 2 538 570 -32 17
2006 NSWRL Premier League
Pos Team Pld W D L B PF PA PD Pts
12 North Sydney Bears 24 6 1 17 2 471 822 -351 17

Awards and honours

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Home games played at Olympic Park only
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Aitken last played first grade for Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in 2005.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "History Melbourne Storm". melbournestorm.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Storm go with captaincy rotation". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 February 2006. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Middleton, David. 2006 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines.
  4. ^ a b "Storm's Scott retires from NRL". smh.com.au. 2 May 2006. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  5. ^ Paxinos, Stathi (2 August 2006). "Storm cuts Walker as finals approach". theage.com.au. Melbourne, Australia: Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  6. ^ Epstein, Jackie (6 August 2006). "Jake makes a statement". Herald-Sun. Melbourne, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 70.
  7. ^ "2006 NRL Trials - League Unlimited". leagueunlimited.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  8. ^ "2006 NRL Trials - League Unlimited". leagueunlimited.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Injuries add to Storm's misery". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney, New South Wales: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. 19 February 2006. p. 47.
  10. ^ de Kroo, Karl; Badel, Peter (19 February 2006). "Cross injury hits Storm". Herald-Sun. Melbourne, Victoria: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 69.
  11. ^ "2006 NRL Trials - League Unlimited". leagueunlimited.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  12. ^ Dawson, Andrew (26 February 2006). "Cronk whips up hot Storm". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Queensland: Nationwide News Pty Ltd. p. 108.
  13. ^ "Rugby League Tables - Melbourne". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  14. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 1". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  15. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 2". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  16. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 3". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  17. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 4". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  18. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 6". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  19. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 7". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  20. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 8". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  21. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 9". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  22. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 10". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  23. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 11". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  24. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 12". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  25. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 13". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  26. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 14". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  27. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 15". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  28. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 16". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  29. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 18". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  30. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 19". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  31. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 20". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  32. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 21". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  33. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 22". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  34. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 23". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  35. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 24". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  36. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 25". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  37. ^ "NRL 2006 - Round 26". Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  38. ^ NRL 2006 - Qualifying Final. Rugby League Project. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  39. ^ NRL 2006 - Preliminary Final. Rugby League Project. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  40. ^ Middleton, David. 2006 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines. p. 112.
  41. ^ Paxinos, Stathi (1 October 2006). "Master of his own universe". theage.com.au. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 13 October 2021. Lance, who held several head coaching positions before becoming Bellamy's assistant coach from 2003 to last year and is now football operations manager at the Storm, could see his former teammate's talent straight away.
  42. ^ "2006 Melbourne Point Scorers". afltables.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  43. ^ "Melbourne Storm - NRL 2006". rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  44. ^ Ritchie, Dean (8 July 2018). "The day James Maloney and Billy Slater played together for North Sydney Bears". The Daily Telegraph. News Corporation Australia. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  45. ^ "NRL Honour Board". melbournestorm.com.au. Melbourne Storm. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  46. ^ "Stormy, Stormy Night - Purple Reign". melbournestorm.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 November 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  47. ^ Middleton, David. 2007 Official Rugby League Annual. Surrey Hills: News Magazines. p. 34.
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