A look back at the World Club Challenge of 2000 when the Storm blew into town...
Leeds v Melbourne, Friday 7.30pm, live on Sky Sports 1
The NRL teams may have taken a battering in more recent times in the World Club Challenge but the 2008 challengers from Down Under, Melbourne Storm, can take heart from their last appearance in the annual match-up. On that occasion eight years ago the Storm blitzed St Helens 44-6 at Wigan and
skysports.com takes a trip down memory lane...
When St Helens and Great Britain international forward Paul Sculthorpe is moved to call the opposition "awesome" you know Melbourne Storm must have produced something very special.
In front of disappointing gate of 13,394 at Wigan's JJB Stadium, Saints simply could not live with the Storm's lightning strikes and ferocious tackling on what was a night to forget for the Super League side.
The bald statistics say it all. Melbourne scored eight tries to one as a rampant Storm dominated proceedings thanks to the influence and probings of classy Australian international half-back pair Brett Kimmorley and Scott Hill.
The Australians made the perfect start with Aaron Moule and Wayne Evans touching down to give them a 10-0 lead inside ten minutes and Saints' troubles mounted when experienced centre Kevin Iro was taken off the field through injury on his return to the side after a hernia operation.
It did not get any easier for the shellshocked Saints who were quickly hit by tries by Marcus Bai Evans try leaving facing a mountain to climb and a half-time deficit of 20-2.
Surprise
Out of favour Tommy Martyn was a surprise inclusion for the Saints that night. Many believed he had played his last game for Saints and after a bout of flu had not trained for weeks. But Knowsley Road coach Ellery Hanley surprisingly recalled the stand-off into an injury ravaged team, which was missing the likes of Keiron Cunningham, Anthony Sullivan and Vila Matautia.
For Martyn, however, it was not the dream return he had hoped for.
"They just simply blew us off the park that night," he admits. "As far as I was concerned, I was on my way out of the club, I hadn't trained much and I don't think I or quite a few of the other players showed up in a very good light that night. They just blitzed us and it was like trying to stop a juggernaut. I don't think I've ever played in a game as quick in my life."
Saints' vastly experienced prop Apollo Perelini was similarly taken aback by the performance of the Storm and said the Super League champions should perhaps have done more homework on their opposition
"We were probably less prepared than we should have been and maybe now it (the World Club Challenge) is considered a bigger plus to win the game than it was back then," admitted Perelini.
"I remember they were very quick and their forwards were very mobile. I remember one of the things that day is Ellery played Paul Wellens, the full back at hooker, so it was me, Julian O'Neill and Paul Wellens in the front row. They played a very expansive game we were not used to the pace and just got rolled over."
The second-half offered no respite for the Super League champions as the Storm racked up four more tries through Dane Morgan, Hill and Robbie Ross (twice) to pour more misery on a demoralised Saints team.
Consolation
At least they had the consolation of scoring one touchdown with Sean Hoppe on his full debut crossing after picking up a pass from Paul Newlove.
Paul Sculthorpe - that day playing at loose forward - admitted: "We came up against an awesome Melbourne side. Brett Kimmorley was their star man and he completely dominated the show. We had a few players missing, but I don't want to use that as an excuse."
Sadly, the match also had a darker side as Martyn believed he was the victim of an eye gouging. The incident was never officially confirmed but for the Saints stand-off it left a bitter after-match taste.
"I went in for a tackle and something went straight across my face," he explained. "It is the only time it is happened in my career. I thought it was Danny Williams, but I played with him for Ireland in the World Cup and when I asked him if it was him he denied it."
It proved a humiliating defeat for Super League and English rugby and later that year the teams from the British Isles were totally outclassed in the Rugby World Cup.
However, some good came out of the thrashing by the Melbourne Storm, according to Sculthorpe.
"We prepared much better for the Brisbane game the following year and the players were older and wiser."
The result of the World Club Challenge 12 months later: St Helens 20 Brisbane Broncos 18, a result which kick-started an era of Super League dominance in the competition.
