The Storm No.7 has been a coveted jersey over the years and it all started with Brett Kimmorley.
He is Melbourne’s original halfback and the man who played an instrumental hand on that famous day in 1999.
Nowadays Kimmorley is a man who wears many hats.
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He coaches in the Illawarra Coal League, taking over from the role made vacant when Jason Ryles was appointed assistant coach at Melbourne two years ago.
The 40-year-old is also a commentator for Fox Sports, a league expert on Channel 7 in Sydney, an NRL ambassador and on Mondays he sits on the Match Review Committee for New South Wales Rugby League.
Coaching and media roles have been the norm for Kimmorley since he retired in 2010. The former is something he has always been passionate about and he thanks his first coach in Melbourne for that.
“I always wanted to coach, ever since my first day in Melbourne,” Kimmorley said.
“My coach back then was Chris Anderson, he was great at coaching his players but we also played golf with him. He is still a mentor to myself. When I made the decision at the end of my career to retire he was the person I sought advice from.
“I still like talking to him about football. He is still one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, just focusing on worrying about ourselves and getting our culture right to build a football Club.”
That very culture still exists today.
Kimmorley spent three seasons with Storm, playing 79 games and scoring 27 tries between 1998-2000.
He went on to play for Northern Eagles, Cronulla and Canterbury and while he admits his four daughters are Sharks fans these days, he still holds the pruple jersey close to his heart.
“Storm is still the best Club I played for,” Kimmorley said.
“It was a wonderful experience those first three years down there. I will carry the premiership tattoo on me for the rest of my life which was a very special thing we achieved in that ’99 season.
“I still love everything they do, they are still the benchmark of the competition with how they do things. I don’t think you can ever take away that special place in your heart.”
But what is it about Melbourne that has remained with him?
“It is the only Club I played for where you knew everyone’s name in both the staff and playing group,” Kimmorley said.
“Once a month we’d get together for a Club dinner and became very united. The social club after the game was a wonderful thing, hanging out and spending time together.”
