1999 Melbourne Storm season
Introduction The '''1999 Melbourne Storm season''' was the second in the club's history. Coached by Chris Anderson and captained by Glenn Lazarus, they competed in the National Rugby League's 1999 season, finishing the regular season in 3rd out of 17 teams. Melbourne reached the 1999 NRL Grand Final and defeated the St George Illawarra Dragons, claiming their first premiership.Stability in playing talent and continued off-field support from Melbourne's core supporters, produced a continued improvement in 1999.Injury took away Scott Hill and Robbie Kearns for much of the season. Melbourne's fullback Robbie Ross, winger Matt Geyer and front-row forwards Rodney Howe and Glenn Lazarus were all selected to play for New South Wales in the 1999 State of Origin series.In their final home game at Olympic Park, the Storm lost to the North Sydney Bears and having had a bye in the last round and they had no opportunity to lift their form before fronting the St. George Illawarra Dragons in their first final. The Storm ultimately lost this game to the Dragons by 34-10 and looked set for a repeat of the 1998 exit.Despite lacking confidence, Melbourne Storm outlasted the Canterbury Bulldogs by 24–22 to reach the preliminary final against Parramatta Eels. The Eels had let a place in the Grand Final slip out of their grasp in the same match in 1998, and were tipped to be much hungrier for a win than the Storm. Parramatta took a hold on the match, but the Storm did not relent and thanks to some last-ditch tackling stayed in the game. A late try to the Storm saw them win by 18-16 and secure a re-match against the Dragons for the title.The Storm had lost twice to the Dragons already in 1999 and by the time Melbourne was behind by 0–14 at half time, it was more than apparent that St. George – Illawarra were going to take the premiership in their first ever season. There was nothing in the Storm's performance to indicate that a comeback was possible.But Melbourne Storm recovered from their poor start with inspiring efforts from Paul Marquet, Brett Kimmorley and Tawera Nikau. Into the final minutes of the game the Dragons led 18-14 but were forced to drop out from their own line. On the fifth tackle Kimmorley kicked high into the Dragons' corner. As the Storm's winger Craig Smith caught the ball over the try-line he was knocked unconscious in a head-high tackle by Jamie Ainscough and lost the ball.Referee Bill Harrigan deferred to the video referee and the replay clearly showed that if not for the illegal tackle Smith would have scored a try. A penalty try was awarded giving the Storm's Matt Geyer a conversion from in front of the posts to take Melbourne Storm to a 20–18 lead and the title.
Season Summary * Pre season – Taking its full squad to Brisbane for the first trial of the season, Melbourne led 14–4 against Auckland Warriors, before a spirited fourth quarter comeback lifted the Warriors to a 16–14 win. Melbourne then made their second trip to Albury to take on the Canberra Raiders and in front of over 7,000 fans, finished strongly to win 24–18. * Round 1 – Melbourne open the 1999 NRL season, winning the first game of the season 32–10. * Round 2 – Former Melbourne er John Carlaw scored a try against the club in Balmain Tigers 16–6 victory. Carlaw said he "just wanted to prove a point. "* Round 3 – Storm thrash Brisbane Broncos 48–6 to inflict Brisbane's heaviest defeat to date in their history. Aaron Moule becomes the first Melbourne player to be sent to the sin bin. * 22 March – Melbourne coach Chris Anderson is appointed Kangaroos coach. * 23 March – Stephen Kearney is suspended for five matches for a grade one dangerous throw charge, the suspension also ruling him out of the 1999 Anzac Test. * Round 4 – Melbourne run the risk of censure from the NRL after introducing "Skirt Man" to the Olympic Park crowd before the game against Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Storm CEO Chris Johns claimed the NRL judiciary's decision to suspend Stephen Kearney for five matches would see players "all wearing skirts". * Round 6 – In his first game back following a 22-match suspension for steroid use, Rodney Howe is charged with a grade two careless high tackle in a tackle that broke the jaw of Auckland Warriors  Jason Death. He later is suspended for one match. * Round 8 – Matt Geyer sets a new club record for points in a game with 24 (2 tries, 8 goals) against South Sydney Rabbitohs, eclipsing Craig Smith's mark of 18 points against Western Suburbs Magpies. * Round 10 – In the club's first ever game in Western Australia, Melbourne thrash Western Suburbs Magpies 62–6 at Lathlain Park. Matt Geyer sets two new club records – most points in a game (34); tries in a game (4). He also equalled Craig Smith's club record 9 goals in a game. Geyer's 34 points was the sixth highest individual scoring effort in league history. * 18 May – Robbie Kearns is thrown from a horse during a NSW Blues Origin "bonding camp" in the Megalong Valley organised by coach Wayne Pearce. Kearns suffers a broken collarbone, and is ruled out of action for months. Melbourne coach Chris Anderson later blasts Pearce in his newspaper column: "As far as I'm concerned, any coach who puts blokes on horses mid-season, let alone before an important representative clash, is off their rocker. "* Round 13 – Melbourne lose to joint venture club St George Illawarra Dragons in the first meeting between the clubs. * 8 June – Scott Hill undergoes surgery on a shoulder injury ruling him out for the rest of the season, while club officials call for State of Origin players to be released back to their clubs on the weekend before any dead rubber games. * 17 June – Paul Rauhihi is released from his contract with Melbourne to sign with Newcastle Knights. Rauhihi never played a first grade game for Melbourne. * 23 June – Chairman John Ribot confirms Melbourne has been investigating a possible move to the under construction Docklands Stadium in 2000. * 6 July – The NSWRL tell Melbourne that under no circumstances will they pay compensation to Robbie Kearns for the horse riding accident. * 19 July – Tony Martin suffers serious facial injuries after a cycling accident. * Round 21 – Melbourne inflict Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks first home defeat of the season, winning 26–18 in windy conditions. * 28 July – Melbourne captain Glenn Lazarus announces he will retire at the end of the 1999 season to take up a coaching role with Canberra Raiders. * 5 August – Storm lodge an official claim for compensation with the ARL on behalf of Robbie Kearns for income lost due to the horse riding accident. * 14 August – Scott Hill suffers serious head injuries after being assaulted outside a nightclub on the NSW north coast. * Round 24 – Melbourne win their sixth straight game (a new club record), winning the final home game of the season 44–14 against Western Suburbs, in what will be the final meeting between the teams before the Magpies merger with Balmain Tigers to form the Wests Tigers. In his 250th game, Glenn Lazarus kicks the only goal in his first grade career, converting a late try in his farewell to the Olympic Park crowd. * Round 25 – North Sydney Bears upset Melbourne 20–24 at North Sydney Oval in what will be that club's last ever NRL game. As a result, Melbourne end the season third on the NRL ladder. * 29 August – Halfback Brett Kimmorley ends speculation he was leaving the club by signing a new three-year contract to stay in Melbourne. * Qualifying Final – Sixth placed St. George Illawarra Dragons upset Melbourne at Olympic Park in the first week of the 1999 NRL finals, with Nathan Blacklock scoring a hat trick for the visitors. * Semi Final – Melbourne advance to the preliminary finals with a tight win over Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, with Matt Geyer scoring the winning try after replacing Ben Anderson who had been dropped after the loss to St. George Illawarra. * Preliminary Final – Coming from 6-16 down midway through the second half, fast-finishing Melbourne stun Parramatta Eels to win 18–16 to progress to the 1999 NRL Grand Final. Victorian viewers are left angry as extended coverage of the 1999 Victorian state election results delays live television coverage of the game on GTV-9. * 21 September – Stephen Kearney is cleared to play in the Grand Final by the NRL Judiciary, despite NRL Commissioner Jim Hall saying Kearney had "established contact" with the head of Parramatta's Jason Smith's head and neck during the Preliminary Final. Hall was quoted as saying: "I cannot prove there was deliberate contact, and a striking charge must be deliberate. "* Grand Final – In front of a rugby league world record crowd of 107,999, Melbourne Storm stage a comeback 20–18 victory over St. George Illawarra Dragons to win the club's first premiership in just their second season. A penalty try to winger Craig Smith awarded by referee Bill Harrigan and video referee Chris Ward decides the outcome. Brett Kimmorley is awarded the Clive Churchill Medal, with Tawera Nikau unlucky not to receive the award, which was voted on by the ARL Kangaroos selectors. * 4 October – Tawera Nikau signs a two-year contract with Warrington Wolves, while Craig Smith rejects Melbourne's offer to stay with the club. * 19 October – Ben Anderson is released by the club.===Milestone games=== Round  Player  Milestone Round 1 Stephen Kearney  Storm debutScott Hill  50th gameRound 5 Marcus Bai  50th gameRound 7 Brett Kimmorley  50th gameRound 10 Richard Swain  50th gameRound 11 Aseri Laing  Storm debutRound 13 Tasesa Lavea  NRL debutRound 15 Tawera Nikau  100th gameRound 16 Brad Watts  NRL debutRound 18 Brett O'Farrell NRL debutRound 22 Robbie Kearns  150th gameRound 23 Russell Bawden  50th gameRound 24 Melbourne Storm  50th gameRound 25 Glenn Lazarus  250th gameGrand Final Danny Williams  100th game===Jerseys===1999 home jerseyDuring the 1998 season, Melbourne struck an apparel sponsorship agreement with Fila to manufacture and merchandise a range of club apparel. The home jersey was redesigned, maintaining the same colours as the 1998 version, but with white thunderbolts in a purple chevron. The gold trim and collars remained, and Honda continued with their sleeve advertisement.A striking gold jersey was also designed as the club's clash colours; with that jersey worn in rounds 10, 15 and 23.
Fixtures ===Pre season=== Date   Opponent Venue  Result    Tries  Goals  Field goals  12 FebruaryTrial  Auckland WarriorsLang Park, Brisbane|1416C Smith, R Ross, S HillC Smith 1/3 20 FebruaryTrial  Canberra RaidersLavington Sports Ground, Albury|2418S Kearney (2), C Smith, M Bai, S HillC Smith, B Kimmorley ===Regular season=== Date   Opponent Venue  Result    Tries  Goals  Field goals  5 March1  Penrith Panthers  Olympic Park, Melbourne|3210R Bawden, M Geyer, A Moule, R Ross, R Swain13 March2  Balmain Tigers  Leichhardt Oval, Sydney|616P Bell21 March3  Brisbane Broncos  ANZ Stadium, Brisbane|486R Ross (2), P Bell, W Evans, S Hill, B Kimmorley, T Martin, T Nikau26 March4  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs  Olympic Park, Melbourne|2617M Bai (2), S Hill, R Kearns, B Kimmorley4 April5 Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks  Olympic Park, Melbourne|1620S Hill, P Marquet, B Roarty9 April6  Auckland Warriors  Ericsson Stadium, Auckland|3810M Bai (2), P Bell (2), M Geyer (2), R Kearns, B Roarty17 April7  Parramatta Eels  Parramatta Stadium, Sydney|1426M Bai, M Geyer, S Hill24 April8  South Sydney Rabbitohs  Olympic Park, Melbourne|5216M Bai (2), M Geyer (2), R Bawden, B Kimmorley, T Martin, B Roarty, R Ross2 May9  Brisbane Broncos  Olympic Park, Melbourne|2818R Ross (2), S Hill, M Rua, D Williams8 May10  Western Suburbs Magpies  Lathlain Park, Perth|626M Geyer (4), R Ross (3), R Bawden, B Kimmorley, T Martin, A Moule15 May11  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles  Olympic Park, Melbourne|286R Ross (2), M Geyer, T Nikau, R Swain21 May12''Bye''28 May13  St George Illawarra Dragons  Olympic Park, Melbourne|1628R Ross (2), M Geyer4 June14  Canberra Raiders  Bruce Stadium, Canberra|626A Laing12 June15  Newcastle Knights  Marathon Stadium, Newcastle|2627M Geyer (2), M Bai, T Martin, T Nikau18 June16  Sydney City Roosters  Olympic Park, Melbourne|268S Kearney, T Martin, A Moule, T Nikau, M Rua27 June17  Manly Warringah Sea Eagles  Brookvale Oval, Sydney|1918B Kimmorley (2), B RoartyM Geyer 3/5B Kimmorley2 July18  Parramatta Eels  Olympic Park, Melbourne|620R Ross10 July19  Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs  Stadium Australia, Sydney|2024A Moule (2), M Bai, M Geyer, B Watts16 July20  Canberra Raiders  Olympic Park, Melbourne|3010B Watts (2), M Bai, T Martin, R Ross25 July21  Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks  Shark Park, Sydney|2618S Kearney (2), B Anderson, M Geyer, R Ross1 August22  Auckland Warriors  Olympic Park, Melbourne|1614M Geyer, P Marquet, A Moule7 August23  North Queensland Cowboys  Dairy Farmers Stadium, Townsville|3024M Bai, R Bawden, P Bell, B Kimmorley, R Ross, M Rua15 August24  Western Suburbs Magpies  Olympic Park, Melbourne|4414M Rua (2), R Howe, B Kimmorley, G Lazarus, T Martin, R Ross, B Watts22 August25  North Sydney Bears  North Sydney Oval, Sydney |2024R Bawden, M Geyer, A Moule, R Ross28 August26''Bye''Source:===Finals===------------
Ladder
1999 Coaching Staff *Head coach: Chris Anderson*Assistant coaches: Greg Brentnall & Steve Anderson*Football Manager: Michael Moore*Head physiotherapist: Tony Ayoub*Head Trainer: Steve Litvensky*Trainer: Aaron Salisbury
1999 squad ''List current as of 27 July 2021''Cap Nat.Player namePositionFirst Storm GamePrevious First Grade RL club '''1'''Robbie RossFB1998 Hunter Mariners'''2'''Craig SmithWG1998 Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs '''3'''Aaron MouleWG, CE1998 South Queensland Crushers'''4'''Paul BellCE1998 Perth Reds'''5'''Marcus BaiWG1998 Gold Coast Chargers'''6'''Scott HillFE1998 Hunter Mariners'''7'''Brett KimmorleyHB1998 Hunter Mariners'''8'''Rodney HowePR1998 Perth Reds'''9'''Danny WilliamsLK, SR, HK1998 North Sydney Bears'''10'''Robbie KearnsPR1998 Perth Reds'''11'''Paul MarquetPR, SR1998 Hunter Mariners'''12'''Ben RoartyPR, SR, LK1998 Melbourne Storm'''13'''Tawera NikauLK1998 Cronulla Sharks'''14'''Glenn LazarusPR1998 Brisbane Broncos'''15'''Richard SwainHK1998 Hunter Mariners'''16'''Russell BawdenPR1998 Brisbane Broncos'''18'''Matt GeyerWG1998 Perth Reds'''19'''Wayne EvansSR1998 Perth Reds'''20'''Ben AndersonFE1998 Melbourne Storm'''21'''Tony MartinWG, CE1998 London Broncos'''23'''Wade FentonSR, PR1998 Melbourne Storm'''24'''John WilshereCE1998 Perth Reds'''25'''Daniel FramePR, SR1998 Melbourne Storm'''26'''Matt RuaPR, SR1998 Melbourne Storm'''28'''Stephen KearneySR1999 Auckland Warriors'''29'''Aseri LaingWG1999 Western Suburbs Magpies'''30'''Tasesa LaveaFE1999 Melbourne Storm'''31'''Brad WattsFB1999 Melbourne Storm'''32'''Brett O'FarrellPR1999 Melbourne StormPaul RauhihiPRYet to debut Melbourne Storm
Player movements '''Losses'''* John Carlaw ''to'' Balmain Tigers* Paul Rauhihi ''to'' Newcastle Knights* John Wilshere ''to'' Released'''Gains'''* Stephen Kearney ''from'' Auckland Warriors* Aseri Laing ''from'' Western Suburbs Magpies* Tasesa Lavea ''from'' Junior All Blacks
1999 Premiership Team
Representative honours This table lists all players who have played a representative match in 1999.Player  1999 ANZAC Test  State of Origin 1   State of Origin 2   State of Origin 3  1999 Tri-Nations Matt Geyer|New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales Rodney Howe|New South WalesNew South WalesNew South WalesAustralia Glenn LazarusAustralia  Stephen Kearney|New Zealand Robbie KearnsAustralia Brett Kimmorley|Australia Robbie Ross|New South WalesNew South WalesNew South WalesAustralia Matt Rua|New Zealand Richard Swain|New Zealand
Statistics This table contains playing statistics for all Melbourne Storm players to have played in the 1999 NRL season. *Statistics sources:NameAppearancesTriesGoalsField goalsPoints 131004 28120048 2750020 1450020 121004 2620810242 1250020 171004 2240016 132008 2895147 51004 10000 261106 282008 2580032 2590036 2640016 10000 2250020 25200080 2650020 3110024 2830012 940016 14100426 players used  —  129  97  1  711===Scorers===''Most points in a game: 34 points ''* Round 10 – Matt Geyer (4 tries, 9 Goals) vs Western Suburbs Magpies''Most tries in a game: 4 ''* Round 10 – Matt Geyer vs Western Suburbs Magpies===Winning games===''Highest score in a winning game: 62 points''* Round 10 vs Western Suburbs Magpies''Lowest score in a winning game: 16 points''* Round 22 vs Auckland Warriors''Greatest winning margin: 54 points''* Round 10 vs Western Suburbs Magpies''Greatest number of games won consecutively: 6''* Round 19 – Round 24===Losing games===''Highest score in a losing game: 26 points''* Round 15 vs Newcastle Knights''Lowest score in a losing game: 6 points''* Round 2 vs Balmain Tigers* Round 14 vs Canberra Raiders* Round 18 vs Parramatta Eels''Greatest losing margin: 24 points''* Qualifying Final vs St George Illawarra Dragons''Greatest number of games lost consecutively: 3''* Round 13 – Round 15
Feeder team Melbourne Storm reserve players again travelled to Brisbane each week to play with Queensland Cup team Norths Devils. Backing up the successful 1998 season by finishing second on the ladder, Norths Devils fell one game short of the 1999 Queensland Cup Grand Final, losing to eventual runners-up Redcliffe Dolphins in the Preliminary Final. Kevin Carmichael won his second straight player of the year award. 1999 Queensland Cup Team        '''2''' Norths Devils2217 0 5 791 393 +398 '''34'''
Awards and honours ===Trophy Cabinet===* 1999 Provan-Summons Trophy===Melbourne Storm Awards Night===*Melbourne Storm Player of the Year: Brett Kimmorley *Melbourne Storm Rookie of the Year: Matt Rua  *Melbourne Storm Clubman of the Year: Paul Marquet  *Mick Moore Chairman's Award: Glenn Lazarus===Additional Awards===* Clive Churchill Medal: Brett Kimmorley* Rugby League Annual – Players of the Year: Brett Kimmorley* Rugby League Annual – Team of the Year: Glenn Lazarus ()* Rugby League Annual – Team of the Year: Stephen Kearney ()
Notes
References