Melbourne Storm captain Cameron Smith insisted ahead of tomorrow’s grand final against Sydney Roosters that the chance to become the first team to win back‑to‑back premierships in 25 years had only been mentioned briefly before the season started but the anecdote demonstrates why the Storm are the NRL’s benchmark club.
NRL.com states that after building membership numbers from 15,000 to 25,000 in the past three years, the Storm are preparing to release an updated strategic plan with an AFL‑like target of 50,000 members by 2024.
Melbourne CEO Dave Donaghy says that would make them one of the largest, if not the largest, rugby league or rugby union club in the world.
As Melbourne prepare for their eighth grand final under Craig Bellamy’s leadership against the Roosters tomorrow, there can be no doubt that his appointment as coach in 2003 has taken the Storm from a very good club to a great one.
The Storm will play the Roosters at 9.20pm tomorrow in the NRL Grand Final.
[Source:NRL]
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