CANBERRA v MELBOURNE
at CANBERRA STADIUM
7.00pm Monday
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 21 (1998-2007) Melbourne 16, Canberra 5
First clash: Melbourne 16 beat Canberra 12 at Olympic Park, 1998 (Rd 24)
Grand Final clashes: None
THE RIVALRY
Opposing coaches Neil Henry and Craig Bellamy, both Raiders juniors, played with the Raiders for three seasons from the club’s initial year of 1982. While Bellamy played 148 first grade games in his 11 seasons, Henry played only lower grades.
THE HISTORY
CANBERRA
Entered competition: 1982
Premierships: Three (1989, 1990 and 1994)
Most games: Jason Croker – 318
Most points: David Furner – 1,218
Most tries: Jason Croker – 120
KEY EVENTS
1981 The NSWRL chooses Canberra instead of Campbelltown as the 14th club for the 1982 premiership.
1982 After tasting defeat in their initial seven games, the Raiders notch their first win in round 8 by knocking over 1908 foundation club Newtown 12-11 at Seiffert Oval.
1984 Canberra finish the regular season in equal fifth place with South Sydney, but lose to the Rabbitohs 23-4 in an SCG play-off.
1987 To the surprise of all but the Canberra-faithful, the Raiders reach their first grand final. In the last decider staged at the SCG, Manly outlast Canberra 18–8. Wayne Bennett and Don Furner were co-coaches.
1989 Canberra battle from fourth place to reach the grand final, where a stirring fight-back results in a 19-14 extra-time win over Balmain. It is the first time a team from outside Sydney has won the premiership.
1990 Mal Meninga scores a club record 38 points (five tries and nine goals) in a 66-4 rout of Easts. Canberra goes on to win the minor premiership and the grand final.
1991 Canberra play in their fourth premiership decider in five seasons, but are edged out 19-12 by Penrith.
1993 The ‘Green Machine’ goes into over-drive late in the season, demolishing Parramatta 68-0 in the Raiders’ biggest win. David Furner tops the day with a club record 10 goals.
1994 The Raiders make easy work of Canterbury in the grand final, the 36-12 victory providing a fitting farewell for club captain Mal Meninga.
2004 Canberra continues to demonstrate its resilience and consistency, as it reaches the play-offs for the 15th time in 18 seasons.
2006 After making his debut in 1991, club stalwart Jason Croker farewells the Raiders having played a record 318 first grade games (ahead of Laurie Daley on 244 and Simon Woolford 233).
DID YOU KNOW?
Storm lock Ryan Hoffman’s father Jay Hoffman was an original Raider, playing six seasons from 1982. While Ryan has represented NSW (after growing up in Campbelltown), Jay played for Queensland in 1979 and 1980, on the eve of the Origin era.
Dean Lance was the Raiders captain in their first grand final in 1987, not Mal Meninga as many believe. Meninga captained the team in their next four grand final appearances.
MELBOURNE
Entered competition: 1998
Premierships: Two (1999 and 2007)
Most games: Matt Geyer – 239
Most points: Matt Orford – 877
Most tries: Matt Geyer – 105
KEY EVENTS
1914 Rugby League is played in Melbourne for the first time as England beat NSW 21-15 at the MCG.
1923 League visionary Harry Sunderland works to establish a club competition in Melbourne but the game fails to take hold.
1990 Big-time rugby league returns to Melbourne when NSW and Queensland meet in a State of Origin match at Olympic Park; the Blues win 12-6.
1991 The first Test match ever played in Melbourne is staged at Olympic Park with New Zealand upsetting Australia 24-8. The following year Great Britain beat Australian there by 33-10.
1994 A then-record Australian crowd of 87,161 attends the MCG for Game 2 of the Origin series.
1997 Former Super League CEO John Ribot is behind the establishment of the Melbourne Storm. The club is admitted to the 1998 NRL competition with many players from the Hunter Mariners and Perth Reds joining the club.
1998 In their debut match, the Storm record a 14-12 win over Illawarra in Wollongong. Coached by Chris Anderson, the club qualifies for the finals in their first season.
1999 Matt Geyer scores a club record 34 points (four tries and nine goals) in a 62-6 defeat of Wests in Perth.
1999 Melbourne win their first premiership title after a controversial penalty try to winger Craig Smith. A world record crowd of 107,999 watch the Storm down St George Illawarra 20-18 at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium. Brett Kimmorley is awarded the Clive Churchill Medal.
2001 The Storm play their home games ‘indoors’ at Colonial Stadium.
2001 Melbourne thrash the Wests Tigers by a club record 64-0 at Colonial Stadium.
2006 Under Dally M coach of the year Craig Bellamy, the Storm win their first minor premiership but are upset 15-8 by Brisbane in the grand final.
2007 The Storm claim their second premiership with an emphatic 34–8 defeat of Manly. Greg Inglis is named Clive Churchill Medal winner. Cameron Smith is awarded the Golden Boot as the best player in the world and Israel Folau becomes Australia’s youngest ever Test player.
DID YOU KNOW?
Now in his 11th season with the club, Matt Geyer is the only remaining Storm player from their initial season.
Rodney Howe was the Storm’s first State of Origin player, when selected for NSW in the first match of 1998 (Glennz Lazarus and Robbie Kearns played for the Blues later in the series). Howe and Lazarus were the club’s first internationals (v NZ 1998).
In their 10 seasons, the Storm have provided six Queensland and 10 New South Wales players for State of Origin.
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