Melbourne Storm graphic for coach Craig Bellamy’s 500th game credits side with five premierships

An obscenely arrogant graphic sent out by the Melbourne Storm on social media to promote Craig Bellamy’s 500th game as coach beggars belief.

The posts clearly state that the club has won five NRL premierships – in 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017 and 2020 despite the Storm being formally stripped of the ’07 and ’09 titles by the NRL in April of 2010 for blatant and ongoing salary cap cheating.

Melbourne hoisted the trophy in 2012, then 2017 and 2020 when cap compliant.

Back in 2010, then NRL boss David Gallop condemned the club after an audit found that the Storm had been operating two sets of books to hide breaches from salary cap auditor Ian Schubert.

‘Through this system that they were able to attract and retain some of the biggest names in rugby league. In doing so they have let down the game, the players and the fans of the Melbourne Storm,’ Gallop said.

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy after winning the 2007 NRL grand final. The title was stripped by the NRL in April 2010 after it emerged the club had been operating two sets of books to hide breaches from salary cap auditor Ian Schubert

Craig Bellamy poses for a photo ahead of his 500th game as Melbourne Storm coach this Thursday night at AAMI Park

‘It would be unfair on the players and fans of every other club in the competition to allow the Storm to retain the titles they won.’ 

Storm coach Craig Bellamy said in a statement that he was unaware’ of the breaches that went onto rock the club.

‘This is an absolute shock to myself, to our football staff, to our players,’ he said.

‘Personally I am heartbroken. But this football club has great character and values. We will not walk away from this challenge.

‘We will stick tight together as a group and fight our way back from this.’

In 2019 at the official NRL season launch, Storm legend Cameron Smith controversially declared Melbourne should have their two premierships from 2007 and 2009 reinstated.

It followed Cronulla emerging from their own salary cap scandal without losing their 2016 title.

‘The clear difference for me is that there is a fair bit of time put into gathering all the evidence, the emails, all that sort of stuff,’ Smith said in comments which angered many fans from rival NRL clubs. 

‘As far as looking at what happened at Cronulla and having the understanding of what I know happened at our club, it sounds quite similar…yet we were made to play an entire season without points (2010) and had (two) premierships taken off us.

‘It is almost like the same or similar crime with a completely different punishment.’ 

Smith also stated in the club’s inner circle they acknowledge the Storm have won five NRL premierships.