Every year when the NRL season kicks off, fans and pundits alike always talk about whether we will see the first back-to-back premiership winners since the Broncos of 1997-98.
This year, we’re talking about the Melbourne Storm, who have consistently for the last decade popped up in the premiership conversation every time the business end of the season comes around.
They may have taken longer to find their rhythm this season after the departure of Cooper Cronk, but now they look to have locked in Jahrome Hughes at halfback and sit atop the competition ladder with five rounds to go. The Storm have certainly hit their straps at the right time and it just seems like the cream is rising to the top as far as finding out who the realistic title contenders are.
So, the question is, can they emulate the feats of Broncos in 1998 and capture consecutive titles? Well, according to these numbers, the teams are actually more similar than we might think and the Storm could be on track to claim the elusive title of back-to-back premiers.
14
2018 Storm and 1998 Broncos’ number of wins after 20 rounds.
Starting the 2018 season with a record of six wins and five losses, the Storm go into their blockbuster Round 21 clash with the Rabbitohs on 14 wins, and are looking to continue their victorious streak of eight games.
To put this number into perspective, I went on to look at the success of previous premiership winners during their title-defending year. No reigning champions since the Broncos of 1998 have tallied 14 wins after 20 rounds until this year.
30+ and 17
From Round 1 last year until right now, the Storm have scored 30 points or more in 17 regular season games. How does this relate to the Broncos?
As it turns out, the Broncos of 1997-98 also recorded 30 points or more in the exact same number of regular season games from the beginning of ’97 Super League until Round 20 the following year. This Broncos side recorded one more 30-point score by the end of the regular season.
As for the Storm, with games to come against the Eels, Titans and Penrith, they are a real chance of equalling and possibly bettering that number, which could give them all the momentum they need heading into the finals series.
Billy Slater is a true champion of the game. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
18
The number of wins by the Broncos at the end of the 1998 home-and-away season.
With five rounds left, the Storm are four wins away from reaching 18 for the season. And based on their current form with three home games in hand, it’s hard to see them giving up any points as they build towards the finals.
3 and 50
The number of times that the Broncos reached 50 points in a game in 1998.
If there is ever a sign of the most dominant team in any given premiership year, it is when they hit the half-century. The fact that the Broncos did that not once but three times in a season only reinforces the quality and attacking prowess of a team capable of winning consecutive titles.
The Knights of 2002 are the only reigning premiers since then to score at least 50 points on three occasions, and only a few have managed more than one. Those are the Penrith Panthers in 2004 and, interestingly, the Melbourne Storm in 2000, 2013 and this year so far.
However, as previously mentioned the Storm have games remaining this season against the Gold Coast Titans and the Parramatta Eels, who are first and fifth in the competition for points conceded respectively. With attacking weapons in all areas of the field, the Storm are in the box seat to get the half century for a third time, and maybe even a fourth.
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So we are now up to the pointy end of the 2018 season. In the most open NRL competition of recent memory, just about any top eight team could win the Provan-Summons trophy on their day.
There’s plenty of arguments as to why all of them can be victorious, but the Storm are better placed than ever to be the last team standing this year as they look to become the first team to claim back-to-back premierships since the Broncos of 1997-98.
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
It was a good article bruv… when you write an article there's always hindsight where you think to yourself, you should have wrote this or you should have mentioned that. It's all about the views and the discussion. If you compare the quality of the 2 sides alone, they 97-98 Broncos team against the 17-18 Storm side... I couldn't pick a winner so the comarisons you made in your article are valid regardless.
Muzz
Guest
No one goes back-to back anymore. It's goes against the current administrations business model.
David webb
Guest
It's funny that the storm have only lost 1 game since the referees stop refing the game properly
Rellum
Roar Guru
I just hope Melbourne doesn't do it. They are not a patch on the greatest club side ever, the 92-93 Broncs team.
Tom Gibbs
Roar Rookie
Appreciate the feedback on this. Before writing I was thinking whether to look at 92-93 or 97-98, so did look at other articles written over the years (eg Fox Sports, Telegraph) to see which two years were looked at more, and turns out both had a fairly even share depending on how they specified it, and when they mentioned 97-98, they made sure to always reference Super League. But on the other hand, I don’t want to split the competitions as if one was ‘harder’ than the other, and if you ask any of those Broncos players, you can’t take that 97 title away from them, and also the Knights - who won in what I still think is the best Grand Final I’ve watched. In hindsight I could have been more specific as something like ‘first NRL side to win consecutive 1st grade competitions since...’. I also just thought some of the comparative numbers were just interesting and good to discuss as a result. Anyway, no existing NRL team has won consecutive top grade Grand Finals since the Broncos in 98, and I just think the Storm might finally do it. But I am a Roosters fan, so I hope it’s not the case.
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Storm are well on track . It looked like it was between three teams at the start of the year for mine. My bias caused me to think the Cows were number two and the Chooks number 3. It is now a Storm Chooks final for mine unless somehow they end up playing each other in a prelim or injuries intervene. I would love a Souths , Penrith GF but that’s very unlikely. Sad really.
Wayne Lovell
Roar Guru
You guys say 97 and 98 were different competitions. Well 92-93 were a different competition to the NRL so its not really “since anyone”. It has simply never happened, if the storm win 2018 they’ll be the first to go back to back. And I’m a Broncos fan.
Kenw
Guest
I agree Adam that on paper Broncos looked the stronger team but the Knights beat Manly in '97, who were the reigning premiers of the unified comp and had been the dominant team for a couple of years. Comparatively the Broncos had an easier run through SL, beating the Sharks (5th in 96, 11th in 98), so it's not so clear-cut. Broncos & Knights were joint top of the table in 1998 - it's almost too bad they didn't face off in the decider although perhaps that really wouldn't have been great for 'not mentioning the war'.
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
Good article and I agree that the Storm will emulate the Broncos and go back-to-back, but I also think we should be talking the 92-93 Broncos as their 97 and 98 premierships were 2 different competitions so they don't count as "back-to-back". But to the authors defence, if the 97 comp was a united comp, the 97 Broncos team would have annihilated the 97 Knights team. I'm no Broncos supporter, but I personally consider them the undisputed 97 champs.
Dogs Boddy
Roar Rookie
Yep sorry buddy. 92-93 is the last time anyone won a unified comp back to back. It was still the Ponies though so at least you have that.
Mondo
Roar Rookie
Shouldn't any comparison be with the Broncos of 1992-1993, in winning the same competition in consecutive years? The 1998 premiership was different to what the Broncos and Knights had each won in 1997.