Melbourne Storm's success

[Moedogg]

Minor premiership after minor premiership, top four every year.... with all the success they've had in the past 2 decades, has the Storm made any real impact in Victoria in terms of generating revenue and gaining a share of the sports market? I'm yet to see any real Melbourne juniors and doubt they have any real Victorian fans. Yet you've got Sydney and Qld fans who've been starved of success for years who keep turning up to games but the NRL keeps propping up a team which no one supports.

What's the point?

 

[JayBee]

Minor premiership after minor premiership, top four every year.... with all the success they've had in the past 2 decades, has the Storm made any real impact in Victoria in terms of generating revenue and gaining a share of the sports market? I'm yet to see any real Melbourne juniors and doubt they have any real Victorian fans. Yet you've got Sydney and Qld fans who've been starved of success for years who keep turning up to games but the NRL keeps propping up a team which no one supports.

What's the point?

Can’t call it the National Rugby League if you only operate in 2 states and a territory. But I guess you could argue WTF are the warriors doing in a “national” league.

I have always been of the opinion that the state of Victoria do not deserve nor embrace such a wonderful club enough - that sort of team in RL heartland (Central Coast, Ipswich, 2nd NZ team or SE QLD team) would be far more deserving, given their fan base and history of the game.

Credit to them. They brought in a coach, stuck with him and have seen him develop a culture which is second to none. It has only recently been matched by the lot over at Bondi, but that is only in the last 7/8 years.

They have slowly encroached into AFL territory, but won’t see any significant shifts there. Actual Victoria juniors are sparse, but the ability of a hem as a club to turn a player who was a fringe at one club to a superstar is a feat itself.

 

[Kempsey Dog]

Shouldn't even be the Melbourne Storm... No juniors, Sunshine Coast Storm in my eyes

 

[Isaac]

Melbourne needs to build the own junior system, not Queensland players. Wayne bennett over takes Bellamy by a mile. Bellamy needs to coach another team to bring success, then you can compare with Bennett.

 

[c-b-b]

From experience you get one of two reactions to the storm in Melbourne. One is who is the storm, the other is yeah I love rugby. Most don't know there's a difference between league and union. Goes to show what a waste a team is there.

 

[TwinTurbo]

There are huge number of NSW and Qld born and breed Storm supporters who are forced by family, education, work or other reasons to have to live in Melbourne, let's face it no one moves there unless they are forced. That's basically the supporter base, expats, like a business associate of mine born in Gosford who married a girl from Melbourne and moved there as she had a university scholarship. He had no NRL team so he supports the Storm. Of the people that he goes to games with most are expats, one was a Bears supporter so he swapped to the Storm when he moved for work.

Always a Bulldog

 

[dogluva]

There are huge number of NSW and Qld born and breed Storm supporters who are forced by family, education, work or other reasons to have to live in Melbourne, let's face it no one moves there unless they are forced. That's basically the supporter base, expats, like a business associate of mine born in Gosford who married a girl from Melbourne and moved there as she had a university scholarship. He had no NRL team so he supports the Storm. Of the people that he goes to games with most are expats, one was a Bears supporter so he swapped to the Storm when he moved for work.

Always a Bulldog

According to the NRL website , Melbourne have more supporters than any of the three Queensland clubs and are only bettered by Parramatta, Souths. Must be a lot of ex pats in Victoria.

2024 Membership

Become an NRL club member, NRL membership numbers.

www.nrl.com

Nowhere near the AFL though..where all clubs bar one (Suns), even the weaker ones beating the Melbourne Storm total.

Statement: AFL club membership breaks all-time record

The AFL has announced a new all-time club membership record of more than 1.1 million members

www.afl.com.au

Statement: AFL club membership breaks all-time record
The AFL has announced a new all-time club membership record of more than 1.1 million members


2021 Club Membership Totals

CLUB	2021 TOTAL
Adelaide Crows	60,232
Brisbane Lions	40,289 (club record)
Carlton	81,302 (club record)
Collingwood	82,527
Essendon	81,662
Fremantle	50,342
Geelong Cats	70,293 (club record)
Gold Coast SUNS	19,460 (club record)
GWS GIANTS	30,185
Hawthorn	77,079
Melbourne	53,188 (club record)
North Melbourne	46,357 (club record)
Port Adelaide	56,532 (club record)
Richmond	105,084 (club record)
St Kilda	55,802 (club record)
Sydney Swans	50,144
West Coast Eagles	106,422 (club record)
Western Bulldogs	46,541
TOTAL	1,113,441

https://www.afl.com.au/news/673648/forward-or-back-reborn-dog-s-just-addicted-to-the-challenge

Even with their success memberships have been pretty much stable since 2017...

2021 NRL Membership Tracker » League Unlimited

leagueunlimited.com

Club Name	2021	2020	2020	2019	2018	2017
	4 Sep	14 Jun	Final	Final	Final	Final
Parramatta	32,376	28,156	28,156	25,258	25,145	24,501
South Sydney	30,794	29,445	29,670	29,626	29,189	30,220
Melbourne	27,504	22,221	25,411	25,211	25,105	20,507

 

[w00t]

The problem is the NRL is going backwards and never forwards.

Too many teams in NSW, the most ridiculous blunders by referees and constant rule changes. We don't even know what sort of game will be on show next year.

The administration is rotten to the core starting from the top and the rule changes are designed to favour certain clubs and ruin other. Refs seem to have precognition on every game about who's supposed to win and there have been basically no upsets this season as a result. If every season is a foregone conclusion and the top clubs don't have a fanbase big enough to generate the revenue needed to sustain the competition then eventually it's going to fold

The biggest problem is that unlike football (soccer) the clubs the NRL are promoting to be the top dogs of the league have a fanbase that is smaller than the clubs they're stepping on. At least with top clubs in Premier League/La Liga the revenue alone from the fanbase of the top clubs is enough to support the entire league.

 

[foREVerA7X]

Shouldn't even be the Melbourne Storm... No juniors, Sunshine Coast Storm in my eyes

There should be prerequisites to this franchise in attempting to grow the game and junior base as well as having their own QCup or NSW Cup team, with Victorian players and not feeding off other areas.

Melbourne needs to build the own junior system, not Queensland players. Wayne bennett over takes Bellamy by a mile. Bellamy needs to coach another team to bring success, then you can compare with Bennett.

Spot on the why I think Bennet is and always will be a better coach. Although no one can deny Bellamy's greatness, he has only succeeded in one system and hasn't tested himself elsewhere. Trent Robinson is on the same path also. However, if it's a good thing, why leave?

 

[TwinTurbo]

Although no one can deny Bellamy's greatness, he has only succeeded in one system and hasn't tested himself elsewhere.

At an open day I did suggest to Bellamy that he couldn't be considered for the GOAT coach unless he achieved the same level of success at another club, not unsurprisingly he told me to "fark off".

Always a Bulldog

 

[KambahOne]

Melbourne needs to build the own junior system, not Queensland players. Wayne bennett over takes Bellamy by a mile. Bellamy needs to coach another team to bring success, then you can compare with Bennett.

Can't agree re Bennett. From 1989 to 2009 he coached a virtual SOO side and had the pick of the litter regarding QLD, New Zealand and PNG players and only won 6 titles. He fluked a premiership with the Dragons then left them in a diabolical mess from which they have not recovered. He failed at the Knights and left them in a mess, then failed at the Broncos and left them in a mess and he'll fail at the Scabbitohs and hopefully leave them in a mess. He's also the biggest two-faced hypocrite in the game.

 

[Psycho Doggie]

Can't agree re Bennett. From 1989 to 2009 he coached a virtual SOO side and had the pick of the litter regarding QLD, New Zealand and PNG players and only won 6 titles. He fluked a premiership with the Dragons then left them in a diabolical mess from which they have not recovered. He failed at the Knights and left them in a mess, then failed at the Broncos and left them in a mess and he'll fail at the Scabbitohs and hopefully leave them in a mess. He's also the biggest two-faced hypocrite in the game.

I take it you're not a fan?

 

[Bazildog]

Melbourne needs to build the own junior system, not Queensland players. Wayne bennett over takes Bellamy by a mile. Bellamy needs to coach another team to bring success, then you can compare with Bennett.

I actually agree with you Isaac. Stats don’t lie and when you consider Bennett has a 62% win ratio over almost 900 FG’s as a coach, 7 Premierships at 2 different clubs and teams he has coached have missed the finals only 5 times in 34 years…

Yes it’s easy to say “oh” he left the Knights in a mess or the Dragons in a mess but he also gave the Red V it’s first Premiership since 1979 and he took the Knights to 1 game short of the GF.

There is a long trail of coaches who managed to get teams to the GF only to lose when it mattered. Brian Smith lost 4 or 5 GF’s without winning one. In eight GF appearances for his teams he has only lost 1 from memory, to Thurston in a thriller.

Bellamy is the “Benchmark” for what he has done with the Melbourne system and nobody develops player like he does. But the Sydney Swans and GWS that have infiltrated the junior pool of kids in Sydney to play AFL instead of Rugby League.

The AFL have given bucket loads of money and free equipment to schools and local clubs to build the game in League heartland. Until the NRL has the same success in Victoria, Melbourne won’t have a proper junior nursery.

 

[CroydonDog]

Can't agree re Bennett. From 1989 to 2009 he coached a virtual SOO side and had the pick of the litter regarding QLD, New Zealand and PNG players and only won 6 titles. He fluked a premiership with the Dragons then left them in a diabolical mess from which they have not recovered. He failed at the Knights and left them in a mess, then failed at the Broncos and left them in a mess and he'll fail at the Scabbitohs and hopefully leave them in a mess. He's also the biggest two-faced hypocrite in the game.

Come on mate. I'm no fan of Skeletor, but his figures speak for themselves. He guided the Raiders (as co-coach) to a GF in his first year as a FG coach, winnig SoO in the same year, and rarely missed success from there. There's a reason why the Gronkos hired him and not someone else.

 

[KambahOne]

Come on mate. I'm no fan of Skeletor, but his figures speak for themselves. He guided the Raiders (as co-coach) to a GF in his first year as a FG coach, winnig SoO in the same year, and rarely missed success from there. There's a reason why the Gronkos hired him and not someone else.

Sorry man but his figures are only half the story, his track record of leaving clubs in a mess cannot be ignored.

 

[TwinTurbo]

Sorry man but his figures are only half the story, his track record of leaving clubs in a mess cannot be ignored.

Maybe that's why Bellamy won't ever leave Melbourne, he afraid of the mess when he does being blamed on him

Always a Bulldog

 

[Gene Krupa]

Sorry man but his figures are only half the story, his track record of leaving clubs in a mess cannot be ignored.

I think all the clubs he left in a mess are still cleaning it up

 

[Shanked]

the storm are leaches. one of the 1st things they should have done is create an acedemy in melbourne, instead it's on the sunshine coast, whats the point? the success of the storm should have expanded the player base

 

[Scoooby]

Consistent is the KEY word, well oiled and methodical machine.!!!

 

[OldDogFan]

The Storm are a very successful club, they are so good they introduced wrestling, the chicken wing, the crusher, the HIA free interchanger and probably many more immoral loopholes we don't even know about. For years they had the "Ref Whisperer" playing for them and Kung Fu Billy plus Cronk ( all cap compliant of course) always got the rub of the green from the refs, so yep a very successful club. If any other club were allowed to stretch, distort bend, mutilate or spindle the rules like the storm did we'd be talking about them right now.