Who are the greatest Melbourne Storm players of all time? From Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk to Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes, The Sporting Base ranks the top 25 Melbourne Storm players from 1998 to now.
Melbourne has won four NRL-recognised premierships — 1999, 2012, 2017 and 2020 — and reached the grand final again in 2024 and 2025, according to the club’s honour roll and Rugby League Project. Under Craig Bellamy the purple jersey became a finishing school for Origin stars and Dally M medallists. After a week of Roosters-Knights grand final talk, it is a good time to settle the debate over the club’s greatest players.
For live odds, team lists and form, open the TSB NRL Match Centre, or browse our NRL news hub.
How we ranked them
This list is TSB’s opinion, weighed on longevity, NRL-recognised premierships, individual and representative honours, peak form and lasting impact in the purple jersey. Games, tries and points are first-grade NRL figures for Melbourne only (finals included), drawn from the club, Rugby League Project and the NRL Hall of Fame. Figures for current players are as they stand to the end of the 2026 NRL season. The 2007 and 2009 titles were stripped for salary-cap breaches, so we credit only the four recognised premierships on the Premierships line; grand final appearances in those years are noted in the text where they matter. Club-only careers count for dual-code or multi-club stars such as Greg Inglis and Israel Folau.
25. Israel Folau (2007-2008)
Storm games: 52 (36 tries)
Premierships: None (NRL recognised)
Key honours: 21 tries in debut season 2007; Queensland and Australia while at Storm
Folau scored 21 tries in his debut NRL season and finished with 36 in 52 Storm games. Later codes define his wider fame; only Storm facts count here.
24. Brett Kimmorley (1998-2000)
Storm games: 79
Premierships: 1999
Key honours: Clive Churchill Medal 1999; World Club Challenge 2000
Kimmorley steered Melbourne to its first premiership and won the Clive Churchill Medal in the 20-18 grand final win over St George Illawarra in 1999, as the club records confirm. He also starred in the 2000 World Club Challenge.
23. Glenn Lazarus (1998-1999)
Storm games: 44
Premierships: 1999 (captain)
Key honours: Inaugural Storm captain; NRL Hall of Fame
‘Lazzo’ captained the foundation side and cartwheeled after the 1999 grand final. The NRL Hall of Fame prop spent only two seasons in Melbourne, but those years set the club’s standards.
22. Ryan Hinchcliffe (2009-2015)
Storm games: 175
Premierships: 2012
Key honours: Storm Player of the Year 2010; life member
A utility who could hook or lock, Hinchcliffe was the glue of Bellamy’s mid-era packs and won the 2012 premiership. He later returned in a coaching pathway role.
21. Matt Orford (2001-2005)
Storm games: 120 (877 points)
Premierships: None
Key honours: Storm Player of the Year 2004; club’s third-highest points tally
Before Cronk owned the No.7, Orford was Melbourne’s chief organiser and goalkicker. His 877 points remain third on the club list behind Cameron Smith and Nick Meaney, per Storm records. His 120 Storm appearances and 877 points are confirmed on Rugby League Project.
Read more: Top 25 Newcastle Knights Players of All Time
20. Ryan Papenhuyzen (2019-2025)
Storm games: 113 (77 tries, 635 points)
Premierships: 2020
Key honours: Clive Churchill Medal 2020; grand finals 2020, 2024, 2025
Papenhuyzen was man of the match in the 2020 grand final win over Penrith and remained a highlight-reel fullback through injury-interrupted seasons, finishing with 77 Storm tries.
19. Suliasi Vunivalu (2016-2020)
Storm games: 111 (86 tries)
Premierships: 2017, 2020
Key honours: Competition leading try-scorer 2016 and 2017; Storm 20-year team wing
Vunivalu topped the NRL try charts in back-to-back seasons and finished with 86 Storm tries. Named on the wing in the club’s 20-year team, he was a finishing machine before switching codes.
18. Josh Addo-Carr (2017-2021)
Storm games: 118 (96 tries)
Premierships: 2017, 2020
Key honours: Club-record 6 tries in a match (2021); third on Storm try list
The Foxx scored 96 tries for Melbourne, including a club-record six against South Sydney in 2021, as Storm records show. A dual premiership winner, he is the most prolific modern Storm winger.
17. Marcus Bai (1998-2003)
Storm games: 144 (70 tries)
Premierships: 1999
Key honours: Storm 20-year team wing; Olympic Park stand named in his honour
Bai was the inaugural era’s try-scoring cult hero: 70 tries in 144 games, a 20-year team wing, and a stand at Olympic Park named after him.
16. Stephen Kearney (1999-2004)
Storm games: 139
Premierships: 1999
Key honours: Club captain 2003-04; Storm 20-year team second row; life member
Kearney arrived for the premiership year, later captained the club and returned as an assistant coach. He remains a Storm life member.
15. Scott Hill (1998-2006)
Storm games: 177
Premierships: 1999
Key honours: Storm life member; co-captain 2006
A foundation five-eighth, Hill played 177 games from day one through the Bellamy transition. Life membership in 2007 recognised that pioneering career.
14. Dallas Johnson (2003-2009)
Storm games: 157
Premierships: None (NRL recognised); grand finals 2006-09
Key honours: Storm 20-year team lock; life member
Johnson was the tireless lock of Bellamy’s first great packs. Named at lock in the 20-year team, he played 157 games and set the defensive standard.
13. Robbie Kearns (1998-2005)
Storm games: 169
Premierships: 1999
Key honours: Storm Player of the Year 1998, 2003; captain; life member; 20-year team bench
A marquee signing who risked moving south, Kearns captained Melbourne, won two club player-of-the-year awards and remains one of Storm’s heart-and-soul figures.
Read more: Top 25 Sydney Roosters Players of All Time
12. Nelson Asofa-Solomona (2015-2025)
Storm games: 215
Premierships: 2017, 2020
Key honours: World Club Challenge Medal 2018; Storm life member 2024
NAS grew into one of the competition’s most destructive props across 215 games: dual premierships, the 2018 World Club Challenge medal and Storm life membership in 2024.
11. Will Chambers (2007-2009, 2012-2019)
Storm games: 215 (84 tries)
Premierships: 2012, 2017
Key honours: Storm 20-year team centre; Queensland and Australia
Chambers was Melbourne’s defensive centre for a decade across two stints. Named in the 20-year team, he won the 2012 and 2017 premierships and played for Queensland and Australia.
10. Harry Grant (2019-present)
Storm games: 138 (47 tries)
Premierships: None yet
Key honours: Storm captain since 2024; IRL Golden Boot 2025; Dally M Hooker awards
Grant took the captaincy in 2024 and has led Melbourne to consecutive grand finals. In December 2025 he won the IRL Golden Boot after Australia’s Ashes clean sweep, as NRL.com reported.
9. Jahrome Hughes (2017-present)
Storm games: 186 (72 tries)
Premierships: 2020
Key honours: Dally M Medal 2024; Dally M Halfback of the Year 2024; RLPA Players’ Champion 2024; Storm Player of the Year 2021, 2024
Hughes won the 2024 Dally M Medal and has 72 Storm tries from halfback. A 2020 premiership winner and 2026 life member, he is the playmaker of Melbourne’s post-Cronk era.
8. Cameron Munster (2014-present)
Storm games: 255
Premierships: 2017, 2020
Key honours: Wally Lewis Medal 2020; Storm Player of the Year 2018, 2022; life member 2024
Munster has been Melbourne’s creative heartbeat for more than a decade: dual premierships, the 2020 Wally Lewis Medal and 255 games among the club’s appearance leaders.
7. Matt Geyer (1998-2008)
Storm games: 262 (113 tries, 662 points)
Premierships: 1999
Key honours: First Storm life member; 20-year team bench; kicked conversion in 1999 GF
Geyer scored 113 tries — second only to Slater — and kicked the conversion that sealed the 1999 premiership after shifting to five-eighth in the finals, as the club recalls.
6. Ryan Hoffman (2003-2010, 2012-2014, 2018)
Storm games: 265
Premierships: 2012
Key honours: Storm 20-year team second row; Brad Fittler Medal 2014; life member
Hoffman is the definition of a Storm footballer: three stints, 265 games and a 20-year team jersey. He won the 2012 premiership and the 2014 Brad Fittler Medal.
5. Jesse Bromwich (2010-2022)
Storm games: 295
Premierships: 2012, 2017, 2020
Key honours: Storm Player of the Year 2014-16; Dally M Prop of the Year 2016; co-captain; life member
Jesse Bromwich is Melbourne’s most-capped forward and a three-time recognised premiership prop. Three straight club player-of-the-year awards beside Smith, Slater and Cronk say enough.
4. Greg Inglis (2005-2010)
Storm games: 117 (78 tries)
Premierships: None (NRL recognised); Clive Churchill Medal 2007
Key honours: Golden Boot 2009; NRL Hall of Fame 2024; Storm 20-year team five-eighth
Only Storm years count here, and they were enough: 78 tries in 117 games, the 2007 Clive Churchill Medal, the 2009 Golden Boot and NRL Hall of Fame induction in 2024. Named at five-eighth in the 20-year team.
3. Cooper Cronk (2004-2017)
Storm games: 323 (92 tries)
Premierships: 2012, 2017
Key honours: Dally M Medal 2013, 2016; Clive Churchill Medal 2012; Golden Boot 2016; NRL Hall of Fame 2024
Cronk played 323 Storm games, won two recognised premierships and the 2012 Clive Churchill Medal. A two-time Dally M medallist and five-time Halfback of the Year, he entered the NRL Hall of Fame in 2024. The telepathy with Smith and Slater defined an era.
2. Billy Slater (2003-2018)
Storm games: 319 (190 tries)
Premierships: 2012, 2017
Key honours: Dally M Medal 2011; Clive Churchill Medals 2009, 2017; Golden Boot 2008; NRL Hall of Fame 2024
Slater is Melbourne’s greatest try-scorer with 190, third in premiership history. He won two Clive Churchill Medals, the 2011 Dally M and the 2008 Golden Boot, and joined the NRL Hall of Fame in 2024. He is No.2 only because of the man at No.1.
1. Cameron Smith (2002-2020)
Storm games: 430 (48 tries, 2,786 points)
Premierships: 2012, 2017, 2020
Key honours: Dally M Medal 2006, 2017; Golden Boot 2007, 2017; NRL Hall of Fame 2024; NRL record games and points
There is no serious debate at No.1. Smith played a record 430 NRL games — all for Melbourne — scored a record 2,786 points, captained 328 Storm matches and won three recognised premierships, as NRL.com and the club’s retirement tribute record. A two-time Dally M and Golden Boot winner, 42-Origin Maroon and 56-Test Kangaroo (33 as captain), he entered the NRL Hall of Fame in 2024. Ron Coote was named the 14th Immortal that night; Smith remains the Immortal-in-waiting most often named next, per NRL.com.
Honourable mentions
Kenny Bromwich (2013-2022): 216 games and three recognised premierships alongside brother Jesse.
Felise Kaufusi (2015-2022): 173 games, dual premierships and a Queensland Origin staple.
Kevin Proctor (2008-2016): 179 games and the 2012 flag.
Christian Welch (2015-2024): 163 games, captaincy and life membership.
Dale Finucane (2015-2021): 152 games and the 2017 and 2020 premierships.
Tawera Nikau and Michael Crocker: short careers, huge grand-final impact in the 20-year team conversation.
Matt King: 60 tries in 91 games and a cult following.
Storm’s place in NRL history
From a 1998 expansion club to four recognised premierships and a conveyor belt of Hall of Fame talent, Melbourne has rewritten Victorian rugby league. Consecutive grand final losses in 2024 and 2025 hurt, but Grant, Hughes and Munster keep the standard high. Compare this list with our top 25 Newcastle Knights players and top 25 Sydney Roosters players, or the top 10 greatest NRL grand finals.
Follow every Storm match with the TSB NRL Match Centre, and get breaking NRL news on the TSB app for iPhone and Android.
More News
