NRL 2022: Melbourne Storm captain Jesse Bromwich adamant his team can win title from outside top four

For the first time in eight seasons Melbourne Storm didn’t make the top four, but doubters who think tey can’t win the premiership should be wary.

Storm captain Jesse Bromwich says a team from outside the top four can win the competition. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Melbourne Storm captain Jesse Bromwich knows history is against his side heading into the finals, but he believes this is the year that a team from outside the top four will finally break through to win the NRL premiership.

Finishing in the top four has many advantages and the stats say you have to finish there if you want to lift the trophy on the first Sunday in October.

Teams from outside the top four have made grand finals in the past, with Melbourne’s premiership-winning side of 2017 proving way too strong for the Cowboys who just snuck into eighth spot.

But records are made to be broken, and Bromwich believes this year’s champion could come from the Storm, Roosters, Rabbitohs and Raiders.

Jesse Bromwich has been a warrior. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

“This is the year that it’s going to happen, or at least I hope so,” he told the NCA NewsWire, hoping the Storm can go all the way from fifth.

“If I look at the teams outside the top four, it’s a wide-open competition. Some of the form teams are outside of the top four, and momentum heading into the finals is big.

“I don’t think we feel like we deserved anything when it came to finishing higher.

“We had a game against Parramatta for fourth and we lost it. We didn’t play our best footy but we were right in the contest, so we take some confidence out of that.

“If we play our best footy, then we can do anything in this competition.”

The Storm begin their finals campaign at home against the Raiders on Saturday evening, with the loser done for the season.

The ladder suggests Melbourne should romp to an easy win, but Canberra has won four in a row at AAMI Park, including a famous victory there in 2019 that derailed the Storm’s finals campaign.

Felise Kaufusi, Jesse Bromwich, Brandon Smith and Kenneath Bromwich played their final regular season match for Melbourne Storm last weekend. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Saturday’s game will serve as a farewell to legendary quartet Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Felise Kaufusi and Brandon Smith, who are all heading to new clubs next season.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet for me,” Bromwich said.

“I try not to let myself think about leaving because I want to cross that path when I get there.

“We had a bit of a lunch together with the team about a week ago and it started to really hit home that we were leaving. It got a little bit emotional, but I try not to think about it too much.”

The awesome foursome were part of a huge presentation for their last home game at AAMI Park in the regular season, and it didn’t end well with the Roosters winning 18-14 in a loss that cost the Storm a home final.

The visitors got the jump that night and Bromwich said the pre-game festivities drained some of the players when the match kicked off.

“I think so,” he replied when asked if the occasion got the better of them.

“I don’t think it had a huge effect on what we did, but I know a few of the boys got very emotional and we got jumped at the start of that game. I’m glad that’s out of the way now and we can focus on having a really strong finals series.”

Season 2022. Earned Not Given. pic.twitter.com/66hw1mjKWq

— Melbourne Storm (@storm) September 4, 2022

The 33-year-old is closing in on the magical 300-game club but will have to wait until next year to bring up the milestone when he joins the Dolphins.

But he still remembers his 2010 debut and the three premierships he won with the club that all started in 2009 when he was spotted by then Toyota Cup coach Brad Arthur.

“I was watching Ken training with the team,” Bromwich recalled.

“I’d come over on a holiday from Auckland and I wanted to watch him train.

“Brad Arthur was there and he asked Ken who I was. Ken told me to come over and train but I said ‘no way’. Brad then came over and asked me to train.

“We were doing a wrestling session and I hadn’t trained for a while, so I remember it being really hard. I still remember it like it was yesterday.”

Originally published as NRL 2022: Melbourne Storm captain Jesse Bromwich adamant his team can win title from outside top four