2012 Melbourne Storm season
The 2012 Melbourne Storm season was the club's 15th NRL season. Coached by Craig Bellamy and captained by Cameron Smith, they competed in and won the NRL's 2012 Telstra Premiership. The first nine weeks of the season were very successful, with the club winning all games for what was at the time their best start to a season. From round 10 to round 21 they won only three games and lost seven, including a five-game losing streak between rounds 16 and 21, their second worst ever. From round 22 onward they recovered their winning form and finished the regular season with five straight wins, finishing in second place. The Storm then went on to defeat South Sydney and Manly in the finals series before going on to face minor premiers, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the 2012 NRL Grand Final, winning 14–4 to claim the Premiership. Season summary 
 19 January – Will Chambers returns to the club after two seasons playing rugby union. Pre-season – Melbourne play Queensland Cup affiliate team Easts Tigers for the Darren Bell Cup in a pre-season trial fixture at Langlands Park. Bell, who was the recruitment manager at the club died of a heart attack late in 2011. Melbourne win the match 36–8 scoring seven tries to two. Will Chambers scoring the first try in his return to rugby league. 10 February – The Australian Rugby League Commission announces that they have guaranteed $26.5m in funding for the club as part of an agreement with News Limited, with the competition gaining their independence from the media conglomerate. 18 February – In front of 11,752 fans at the North Hobart Oval in Tasmania, Melbourne defeat the Brisbane Broncos 34–30 in their final trial match before the start of the season. Billy Slater scoring a double in his first action for the year. Melbourne had led 34–16 until late in the game, with Ryan Hinchcliffe stretchered from the field with seven minutes left following an ugly tackle from Petero Civoniceva. Round 1 – Melbourne continue the round 1 winning streak, defeating the Canberra Raiders 24–19 at Canberra Stadium. Raiders coach David Furner unhappy with the tackling technique of the Melbourne players dubbed the "chin strap." The victory was Melbourne's ninth straight round 1 victory under Craig Bellamy. The victory secured by a late try to Billy Slater after Josh Dugan had put the Raiders in front via a field goal with seven minutes remaining. Round 3 – Billy Slater scored two tries against the Gold Coast Titans to take his career total to 130, going past Rhys Wesser to become the highest try scoring fullback in Australian Rugby League history. Round 4 – With his fourth consecutive double, Billy Slater makes premiership history as the first player to complete four try doubles to start a season, with Melbourne the only undefeated team. 29 March – Cooper Cronk re-signs with the club for a further four seasons. Round 5 – Melbourne celebrated their 15th anniversary with a win against the Newcastle Knights, coming in Ryan Hinchcliffe's 100th NRL match and Bryan Norrie's 50th match for the club. Round 6 – A dominant performance from Cooper Cronk helps Melbourne to a 42–18 win over the North Queensland Cowboys, despite the Cowboys scoring the first try of the match. Round 7 – Melbourne equal the club's best start to a season (2007) with their seventh straight win, winning a tight 12–6 match against the Bulldogs. Round 8 – On ANZAC Day, Melbourne record an eighth straight win for the season, outlasting the New Zealand Warriors 32–14 after scores were level with 20 minutes remaining. The victory completing the best start to a season in the club's history. Round 9 – Justin O'Neill scores a hat trick in the club's 44–10 thrashing of Penrith Panthers. Round 10 – Cronulla end Melbourne's winning streak at nine matches, defeating the Storm 12–10 at Toyota Park with former Storm player Jeremy Smith scoring the match-winning try after Melbourne had taken a 10–6 lead into half time. Round 12 – Melbourne hand the Brisbane Broncos a 34–10 defeat at AAMI Park on the Friday night after Origin I. Will Chambers played his 50th match, while Todd Lowrie played his 50th match for the Storm. Michael Greenfield makes his club debut, but is knocked out by a shoulder charge from Ben Te'o. With a history of neck issues, Greenfield never plays again after undergoing neck surgery. Round 13 – In Todd Lowrie's 150th NRL appearance, Melbourne retain the Michael Moore Trophy, coming from 12–0 down to defeat the Warriors in Auckland. 6 June – Will Chambers is hospitalised with a rare blood disorder that could have proved fatal if left untreated. Round 14 – With several players absent through Origin duty, Wests Tigers upset Melbourne to win their first ever game in Victoria. Ryan Hoffman captains the team in the absence of Cameron Smith, in what was coach Craig Bellamy's 250th match in charge. It is Melbourne's first loss on a Friday night in Victoria for 11 years. 14 June – Billy Slater is ruled out of action for up to six weeks due to a knee injury. Round 15 – Missing Slater, Melbourne defeat Manly 26–22 at Brookvale Oval, winning there for the first time since 2009. Round 16 – Video referee Shaun Hampstead controversially denies a try to Ryan Hinchcliffe in what proves to be a turning point in the club's 20–4 loss to the Bulldogs in Mackay. Round 18 – With defence described by Craig Bellamy as "downright embarrassing," Canberra hand Melbourne a 40–12 defeat at AAMI Park. Round 19 – North Queensland win their first match in Melbourne in 11 years, handing Melbourne a third straight defeat in Cooper Cronk's 200th NRL game. Round 20 – Days after announcing they were parting ways with coach Stephen Kearney, wooden spoon favourites the Parramatta Eels shock Melbourne 16–10. With their fourth consecutive loss, the Storm equalled their second worst losing streak in club history. Craig Bellamy describing his team as "pathetic." Round 21 – Despite the return of Billy Slater, the Storm record a new second-worst losing streak with their fifth consecutive loss, with the Dragons sending Melbourne home from Wollongong 26–18 losers. It was the Storm's longest losing streak during Craig Bellamy's ten-year tenure. The match was Anthony Quinn's 100th appearance for the club. Round 22 – With a try after 35 seconds to Sisa Waqa, Melbourne end their losing streak with a 46–6 defeat of the Penrith Panthers. The 46 points was also the Storm's highest score of the season. Round 23 – Mahe Fonua becomes the first born and bred Victorian to play NRL for the Storm, making his debut in a 24–16 win over the Gold Coast Titans at AAMI Park. Melbourne had trailled 10–0 at half time, before getting on top of the visitors in the second half. Jessie Bromwich also played his 50th game for the Storm. Round 24 – Cooper Cronk scores the match-winning field goal with six minutes remaining to secure a 19–18 win over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. With his second conversion of the match, Cameron Smith scored his 1300th career point. Round 25 – Down 18–10 with three minutes remaining, Melbourne score two late tries to come from behind to win 20–18 against the Sharks. Will Chambers scoring the match winner with just 24 seconds remaining. The result meant that the Storm's overall wins percentage increased to 63.64%, elevating the Storm to first place on the 'all-time' score table for the first time, ahead of the Brisbane Broncos. Round 26 – Melbourne end the regular season with a 26–6 victory over the Wests Tigers to secure second position on the NRL ladder. After winning the NRL Club Championship in 2011, Melbourne finish third behind the Bulldogs, with the Toyota Cup team finishing in 9th position. Qualifying final – The Storm began their finals campaign with a 24–6 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs, earning them a week's break and a home preliminary final. Melbourne had blown the visitors off AAMI Park in the first half, taking an 18–0 lead. 13 September – Melbourne announce the signing of Lagi Setu who last played for the Brisbane Broncos in 2010 before embarking on missionary work. The club also announcing the signing of Junior Moors from the Wests Tigers, with both players joining the club for the 2013 season. Preliminary final – two tries each to Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk help Melbourne complete a 40–12 defeat of Manly to secure a spot in the Grand Final against the Bulldogs. Ryan Hinchcliffe plays his 100th match for the club. Grand Final – Melbourne defeat the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 14–4 to claim the 2012 NRL premiership. Halfback Cooper Cronk is awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as player of the match. Melbourne were first to score and would take a 14–4 lead into half time, with the second half remaining scoreless. Bulldogs forward James Graham is alleged to have bitten the ear of Billy Slater during a first half melee, with Graham later suspended by the NRL Judiciary for 12 matches. Cameron Smith, while having a bad night with the boot (1 from 5 attempts), kicked his 600th career goal. Milestone games

Jersey
In 2012 the Storm jerseys were made by Kooga. Both the predominantly purple 'home' jersey, and the predominantly white 'away' jersey for 2012 were first instituted by the club in 2010. Special jerseys
Round 5 (NRL Heritage round): replica of the original 1998 jersey. Round 12 (vs the Brisbane Broncos): a special silver V with purple camouflage jersey. A similar jersey was worn in the same game in 2011. Round 19 (vs the North Queensland Cowboys): a one-off promotional jersey was worn to promote The Dark Knight Rises. The jersey was predominantly black with the Batman logo on the front and back. Round 22 (vs the Penrith Panthers): the "Close the Gap" jersey. "Close the Gap" is an Oxfam initiative to influence Australian government healthcare and Indigenous policies with an aim to achieve health equality for Indigenous Australians by 2030. The NRL began supporting this campaign with a "Close the Gap Round" in 2010. Statistics 
Statistics source:
Statistics current following the Grand Final. Most points in a game: 14
 Cameron Smith with 1 try and 5 goals vs Manly in Round 15 (18 June 2012). Cameron Smith with 7 goals vs Penrith in Round 22 (4 August 2012). Most tries in a game: 3
 Will Chambers vs New Zealand in Round 8 (25 April 2012). Justin O'Neill vs Penrith in Round 9 (5 May 2012). Fixtures

Pre season

Regular season 
Source:
 – Golden Point extra time
(pen) – Penalty try

Finals

Ladder

2012 Coaching Staff

NRL
 Head coach: Craig Bellamy
 Assistant coaches: David Kidwell & Kevin Walters
 Development coach: Adam O'Brien
 Specialist coach: Robbie Kearns
 Tackling Coach: John Donohue
 Performance coach: Mick Martin
 Strength and conditioning Coach: Alex Corvo
 Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coaches: Adrian Jiminez & Dan Di Pasqua
 Head physiotherapist: Kieran Morgan
 Assistant physiotherapist: Andrew Nawrocki
 Head Trainer: Craig Sultana
 General Manager Football Operations: Frank Ponissi
 Recruitment manager: Paul Bunn

NRL Under 20s
 Head coach: Dean Pay
 Assistant coach: Troy Thompson
 Development coaches: Tony Adam & Chad Buckby
 High Performance Manager: Chris Jones
 Physiotherapist: Aaron Howlett
 Strength and conditioning Coach: Adrian Jiminez

2012 Squad

2012 Premiership Team

2012 player movement
2012 squad signings

2012 squad transfers

Representative honours
The following players have played a representative match in 2012. (C) = Captain

Awards

Trophy Cabinet
 2012 Provan-Summons Trophy

Melbourne Storm Awards Night
Held at Melbourne Convention Centre on Friday 5 October 2012. Melbourne Storm Player of the Year: Cameron Smith
 Melbourne Storm Rookie of the Year: Mahe Fonua
 Melbourne Storm Members' Player of Year: Cooper Cronk
 Most Improved: Sisa Waqa
 Best Forward: Ryan Hoffman
 Best Back: Cooper Cronk
 Best Try: Gareth Widdop vs Gold Coast Titans (Round 23)
 Feeder Club Player of the Year:
 Darren Bell U20s Player of the Year: Young Tonumaipea
 U20s Best Back: Kirisome Auva'a
 U20s Best Forward: Karl Davies
 Greg Brentnall Young Achievers Award: Young Tonumaipea
 Mick Moore Club Person of the Year: Frank Ponissi
 Life Member Inductee: Cooper Cronk & Alex Corvo

Dally M Awards Night
On 4 August 2012, the 2012 Dally M Awards were held. Dally M Halfback of the Year: Cooper Cronk
 Dally M Hooker of the Year: Cameron Smith

RLIF Awards Night
On 17 October 2012 the RLIF held their annual award ceremony and presented a number of awards to Melbourne Storm personnel including naming Cameron Smith the 'International Rugby League Player of the Year'. RLIF International Player of the Year: Cameron Smith
 RLIF International Coach of the Year:Craig Bellamy
 RLIF Halfback of the Year: Cooper Cronk
 RLIF Hooker of the Year: Cameron Smith
 RLIF Fijian Player of the Year: Sisa Waqa

Additional Awards
Clive Churchill Medal: Cooper Cronk
Sprit of ANZAC Medal: Kevin Proctor

Notes

References

Melbourne Storm seasons
Melbourne Storm season