Re-live the 1998 game against the Melbourne Storm with Terry Lamb and Daryl Halligan.
We have dusted off the history records at Bulldogs HQ to bring you all the information from the first time the Bulldogs ever played against the Melbourne Storm!
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs took on the Melbourne Storm for the first time in the 1998 NRL season when the Victorian franchise was first established. Since then, the Bulldogs and the Storm have had a fierce rivalry that has lasted almost 15 years.
By 1994, due to the high attendances at recent State of Origin matches at the MCG, the Australian Rugby League (ARL)put plans in place to establish a Victorian based franchise to enter the premiership in 1998.
In September 1997, the newly established Melbourne Storm announced that former player and Coach of the Bulldogs from 1990-1997, Chris Anderson, would be their first head coach.
Chris Anderson was to match up against another former Bulldogs player Steve Folkes who took over the coaching roll at Canterbury in 1998.
The Bulldogs had to wait until Round 23 of the 1998 season to face up against the Melbourne Storm for the first time at Belmore Sports Ground in front of a crowd of 11,179 on the 15th of August.
Darren Britt was the captain of the Bulldogs at the time, facing off against the first ever Melbourne captain Glen Lazarus, who had been brought over to the Storm from the Brisbane Broncos by Former CEO John Ribot.
The game was officiated by referee Paul McBlane and was his 83rd match in charge of the whistle in the ARL/NRL (excluding representative matches).
The match Boasted some familliar names on both sides including Daryl Halligan, Barry Ward, and Tony Grimaldi who are all still working as part of the Administration and coaching staff for the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
Each side managed to score one try a piece with Craig Polla-Mounter (Bulldogs) and Tawera Nikau (Storm) crossing the line. The difference in the scoreline was made up by some brilliant goal kicking by current Bulldogs Kicking coach Darryl Halligan who kicked 2/2 (100%) whilst Storm Kicker Tony Martin failed to convert his one shot at goal.
