2004 Melbourne Storm season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
NRL Rank | 6th | |||
Play-off result | Semi-final Loss | |||
2004 record | Wins: 13; draws: 0; losses: 11 | |||
Points scored | For: 684; against: 517 | |||
Team information | ||||
CEO | Frank Stanton (Interim) | |||
Coach | Craig Bellamy | |||
Captain |
| |||
Stadium | Olympic Park | |||
Avg. attendance | 8,886 | |||
High attendance | 10,621 (Round 16) | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Steven Bell (18) | |||
Goals | Matt Orford (56) | |||
Points | Matt Orford (153) | |||
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The 2004 Melbourne Storm season was the 7th in the club's history. They competed in the NRL's 2004 Telstra Premiership and finished the regular season 6th out of 15 teams.
Inconsistency plagued Storm in Craig Bellamy’s second season in charge, but the team won four games in a row during the middle part of the year to move into the top four. They could not maintain their run though, eventually finishing sixth. Once again Storm won its first final, a 31-14 triumph over the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium before bowing out to the Bulldogs for the second straight season the following week. John Ribot departed the club early in the 2004 season with Frank Stanton stepping in as acting CEO for the next 12 months. [1]
Round | Player | Milestone |
---|---|---|
Round 2 | Ben MacDougall | Storm debut |
Round 2 | Alex Chan | Storm debut |
Round 3 | Steve Turner | Storm debut |
Round 6 | Danny Williams | 200th game |
Round 7 | David Kidwell | 100th game |
Round 8 | Kirk Reynoldson | 50th game |
Round 9 | Cooper Cronk | NRL debut |
Round 12 | Stephen Kearney | 200th game |
Round 16 | Matt Geyer | 150th game |
Round 19 | Scott Hill | 150th game |
Round 21 | Robbie Kearns | 250th game |
Round 22 | Matt Orford | 100th game |
Round 22 | Rodney Howe | 150th game |
Round 23 | Jeremy Smith | NRL debut |
Round 26 | Andrew McFadden | 100th game |
Melbourne's jerseys were unchanged from the designs implemented by Canterbury of New Zealand in 2003. The club's clash colours were again a mostly white design with a purple chevron and gold thunderbolts, worn with navy shorts. Honda finished up as sponsor at the end of 2003, and there was no sleeve sponsor for 2004.
Date | Round | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 January | Rugby League World Sevens | Lebanon | Aussie Stadium, Sydney | Won | 27 | 22 | |
24 January | Rugby League World Sevens | St George Illawarra Dragons | Aussie Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 10 | 29 | |
25 January | Rugby League World Sevens | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Aussie Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 17 | 22 |
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 February | Trial | Tweed Heads Seagulls | Noosa District Sports Complex, Tewantin | Won | 28 | 14 | — | — | [5] [6] | |
21 February | Trial | Brisbane Broncos | Clive Berghofer Stadium, Toowoomba | Lost | 10 | 14 | M Geyer, S Hill | M Geyer (1) | [7] | |
28 February | Trial | Canberra Raiders | Eric Weissel Oval, Wagga Wagga | Lost | 20 | 30 | G Turner, F Moala, M King, B Slater | C Smith (2) | [8] [9] [10] | |
7 March | Trial | Newtown Jets | Henson Park, Sydney | Won | 54 | 0 | S Turner (3), F Moala (2), M King (2), B Slater, P Robinson, K Reynoldson | C Smith (5), M Geyer | [11] [12] [13] |
Source: [14]
Date | Rd | Opponent | Venue | Result | Mel. | Opp. | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Ref | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 March | 1 | Bye | |||||||||
21 March | 2 | Newcastle Knights | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 26 | 36 | S Hill, F Moala, B Slater, G Turner | C Smith 5/5 | [15] | ||
28 March | 3 | St George Illawarra Dragons | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 34 | 6 | S Turner (2), D Cooper, M King, B MacDougall, M Orford | C Smith 4/7, D Cooper 1/1 | [16] | ||
4 April | 4 | Brisbane Broncos | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane | Lost | 26 | 34 | M King (2), S Hill, R Hoffman, B Slater | C Smith 3/5, M Orford 0/1 | [17] | ||
11 April | 5 | Penrith Panthers | Penrith Park, Sydney | Lost | 26 | 30 | M King (2), D Cooper, M Orford, P Robinson | C Smith 3/5 | [18] | ||
17 April | 6 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 50 | 4 | J Webster (3), D Williams (2), D Cooper, D Kidwell, M Orford, C Smith | C Smith 5/6, M Orford 1/1, D Williams 1/1, D Cooper 1/1 | [19] | ||
24 April | 7 | North Queensland Cowboys | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 28 | 6 | S Bell, M Geyer, D Johnson, K Reynoldson, B Slater | C Smith 3/5, M Orford 1/1 | [20] | ||
2 May | 8 | New Zealand Warriors | Ericsson Stadium, Auckland | Lost | 14 | 20 | S Bell (2), S Hill | C Smith 1/3 | [21] | ||
8 May | 9 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 26 | 36 | S Bell (2), D Cooper (2), B Slater | C Smith 3/5 | [22] | ||
16 May | 10 | Parramatta Eels | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney | Won | 36 | 16 | D Cooper (2), S Bell, D Johnson, R Kearns, C Smith | C Smith 6/8 | [23] | ||
22 May | 11 | Canberra Raiders | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 22 | 18 | C Cronk, S Hill, S Kearney, B MacDougall | M Orford 3/4 | [24] | ||
29 May | 12 | Newcastle Knights | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle | Won | 28 | 18 | M Geyer (3), S Hill, B Slater | C Smith 4/5 | [25] | ||
5 June | 13 | Wests Tigers | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 30 | 24 | S Bell, D Johnson, R Kearns, D Kidwell, B Slater | M Orford 3/4, C Smith 2/3 | [26] | ||
12 June | 14 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | Aussie Stadium, Sydney | Lost | 26 | 28 | A Chan (2), S Bell, D Cooper, D Kidwell | M Orford 3/5 | [27] | ||
19 June | 15 | Bye | |||||||||
26 June | 16 | New Zealand Warriors | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 42 | 6 | M King (3), B MacDougall (2), S Bell, D Kidwell, B Slater | M Orford 4/7, D Cooper 1/1 | [28] | ||
2 July | 17 | Penrith Panthers | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 66 | 14 | S Turner (3), C Cronk (2), M King (2), S Hill, R Hoffman, D Kidwell, B MacDougall | M Orford 11/12 | [29] | ||
11 July | 18 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Sydney Showground, Sydney | Lost | 18 | 25 | D Kidwell, B Slater, C Smith | M Orford 3/3 | [30] | ||
17 July | 19 | Wests Tigers | Leichhardt Oval, Sydney | Lost | 18 | 32 | B Slater (2), M Orford | M Orford 3/3 | [31] | ||
24 July | 20 | Parramatta Eels | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 22 | 16 | M Orford (3), M King | M Orford 3/5 | [32] | ||
1 August | 21 | Sydney Roosters | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Lost | 10 | 26 | M King, C Smith | M Orford 1/2 | [33] | ||
6 August | 22 | St George Illawarra Dragons | WIN Stadium, Wollongong | Lost | 14 | 34 | S Bell, M King, M Orford | M Orford 1/3 | [34] | ||
15 August | 23 | Canberra Raiders | Canberra Stadium, Canberra | Won | 36 | 18 | S Bell, M Geyer, M King, B MacDougall, M Orford, B Slater, J Smith | M Orford 4/7 | [35] | ||
22 August | 24 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs | Olympic Park, Melbourne | Won | 22 | 12 | S Bell, S Hill, D Johnson | M Orford 5/6 | [36] | ||
28 August | 25 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | Toyota Park, Sydney | Won | 36 | 28 | M Geyer (2), S Bell, D Johnson, D Kidwell, B MacDougall, B Slater | M Orford 4/7, S Kearney 0/1 | [37] | ||
5 September | 26 | Manly Warringah Sea Eagles | Brookvale Oval, Sydney | Lost | 28 | 30 | S Bell (2), S Hill (2), C Cronk | C Smith 4/5 | [38] |
Qualifying final
11 September 2004 |
Brisbane Broncos | 14 - 31 [39] |
Melbourne Storm |
---|---|---|
Tries: Tonie Carroll Brent Tate Goals: Darren Lockyer 3/3 |
Tries: Steven Bell Matt Geyer Scott Hill Matt King Matt Orford Billy Slater Goals: Matt Orford 3/6 Field Goal: Matt Orford |
Semi final
19 September 2004 |
Bulldogs | 43 - 18 [40] |
Melbourne Storm |
---|---|---|
Tries: Johnathan Thurston (2) Hazem El Masri Luke Patten Adam Perry Andrew Ryan Willie Tonga Goals: Hazem El Masri 7/8 Field Goal: Brent Sherwin |
Tries: Steven Bell (2) Billy Slater Goals Matt Orford 3/3 |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sydney Roosters | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 710 | 368 | +342 | 42 |
2 | Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (P) | 24 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 760 | 491 | +269 | 42 |
3 | Brisbane Broncos | 24 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 602 | 533 | +69 | 37 |
4 | Penrith Panthers | 24 | 15 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 672 | 567 | +105 | 34 |
5 | St George Illawarra Dragons | 24 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 624 | 415 | +209 | 32 |
6 | Melbourne Storm | 24 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 684 | 517 | +167 | 30 |
7 | North Queensland Cowboys | 24 | 12 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 526 | 514 | +12 | 29 |
8 | Canberra Raiders | 24 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 554 | 613 | −59 | 26 |
9 | Wests Tigers | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 509 | 534 | −25 | 24 |
10 | Newcastle Knights | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 516 | 617 | −101 | 24 |
11 | Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 528 | 645 | −117 | 24 |
12 | Parramatta Eels | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 517 | 626 | −109 | 22 |
13 | Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles | 24 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 615 | 754 | −139 | 22 |
14 | New Zealand Warriors | 24 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 427 | 693 | −266 | 16 |
15 | South Sydney Rabbitohs | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 455 | 812 | −357 | 16 |
List current as of 20 September 2021 [42]
Losses
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Gains
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This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 2004.
Player | 2004 ANZAC Test | City vs Country Origin | State of Origin 1 | State of Origin 2 | State of Origin 3 | Tri-Nations [d] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scott Hill | — | Country | — | — | — | Australia |
Stephen Kearney | New Zealand | — | — | — | — | — |
David Kidwell | New Zealand | — | — | — | — | New Zealand |
Matt King | — | Country | — | — | — | — |
Matt Orford | — | City | — | — | — | — |
Billy Slater | — | — | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | — |
Cameron Smith | — | — | Queensland | Queensland | Queensland | — |
This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 2004 NRL season.
Name | Appearances | Tries | Goals | Field goals | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steven Bell | 24 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 72 |
Alex Chan | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Dustin Cooper | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 36 |
Cooper Cronk | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Nathan Friend | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Matt Geyer | 21 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 32 |
Scott Hill | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
Ryan Hoffman | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Rodney Howe | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dallas Johnson | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Antonio Kaufusi | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Stephen Kearney | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Robbie Kearns | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
David Kidwell | 26 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
Matt King | 20 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 60 |
Andrew McFadden | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ben MacDougall | 22 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
Fifita Moala | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Matt Orford | 25 | 10 | 56 | 1 | 153 |
Kirk Reynoldson | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Peter Robinson | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Billy Slater | 22 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 56 |
Cameron Smith | 23 | 4 | 43 | 0 | 102 |
Jeremy Smith | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Robert Tanielu | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Glen Turner | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Steve Turner | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Jake Webster | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Danny Williams | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
29 players used | — | 132 | 102 | 1 | 733 |
Most points in a game: 22 points
Most tries in a game: 3
Highest score in a winning game: 66 points
Lowest score in a winning game: 22 points
Greatest winning margin: 52 points
Greatest number of games won consecutively: 4
Highest score in a losing game: 28 points
Lowest score in a losing game: 10 points
Greatest losing margin: 25 points
Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 2
Melbourne Storm reserve players again travelled to Brisbane each week to play with Queensland Cup team Norths Devils. Coached for a second season by Gary Greinke, Norths returned to the finals, finishing second in the regular season behind eventual premiers Burleigh Bears. However, the Devils were bundled out of the finals in straight sets. Melbourne Storm rookie Jeremy Smith won the Devils Player of the Year Award.
During the season, Greg Inglis made his first grade debut as a 17-year-old, scoring two tries. Inglis would play six Queensland Cup games for the season, scoring eight tries, also representing Queensland in underage representative games. [45]
2004 Queensland Cup | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
2 | Norths Devils | 22 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 789 | 503 | +286 | 31 |
Showing how highly rated he was in the wider coaching community, Melbourne Storm snapped him up for two seasons as an assistant immediately after the five year stint on Sydney's north shore.