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The mighty Melbourne Storm. After the salary cap drama of 2010 (yes, that is the millionth time this been mentioned in the same sentence as the Storm), Melbourne strangled the Bulldogs 14-4 to win the 2012 NRL Premiership.
They deserved it. Sure, the Bulldogs finished first and had a better regular season, but the Storm showed on September 30 that they had what it takes to win the big one.
Now, I’m rather indifferent about the Storm. I know they performed a disgraceful act of cheating, but they were punished, accepted the punishments and moved on.
In 2011 and 2012, with legal squads, the Storm finished first and second respectively.
What I am worried about is that Melbourne now have momentum, something which, in the NRL, is very hard to stop over short or long periods of time.
I’m sure that I and every other club’s supporters are fearing the unthinkable – a Storm golden age.
A competition in which one team that stands above every other is always in danger of becoming something that is feared in every sporting competition: boring.
While the St George teams that won 11 straight premierships from 1956 to 1966 were unquestionably incredible, I challenge anyone to say that those NSWRL comps were not repetitive and unpredictable.
Now, while I am certainly not suggesting that Melbourne can win 11 straight premierships (they probably will now that I’ve said that), this is the ultimate example of a one-team league.
Storm supporters obviously want their current success to extend beyond 2012 and over many seasons, and who can blame them?
As a mad Broncos supporter, I’d love for my team to some day win five or six titles in a row.
But I’m sure all non-Broncos supporters and all sports fans would not want that to happen.
One great thing about the NRL is how close it is. 16th-placed Parramatta beating the then-first Melbourne was one of last season’s highlights for me.
Not because I love the Eels or hate the Storm, but because the result was so unexpected and thrilling that Eels supporters were crying.
If Melbourne were to create an honest golden age, which under the tutelage of Craig Bellamy is certainly a possibility, it would run the risk of sucking an element of unpredictability out of the comp.
That’s something I’m sure nobody wants to see happen to the greatest game of all.
The 2013 NRL season is still two weeks away, and I don’t know if the Storm will be premiers again.
I’m just hoping they don’t, for the sake of an exciting competition. Do you agree?
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