The Melbourne Storm entered the 2025 NRL season with one goal in mind: to win the premiership.
Craig Bellamy's side came agonisingly close in 2024, falling to Penrith in the grand final against a team in the midst of a historic dynasty.
Heading into 2025, oddsmakers had the men in purple as $3.85 favourites to lift the Provan-Summons Trophy before a ball had even been kicked.
Instead, in a cruel twist of fate, the Storm have once again fallen short on the biggest stage - this time to an electric Brisbane Broncos outfit, who edged them 26-22 in a thrilling final at Accor Stadium.
The warning signs had been there throughout the regular season. Despite winning 17 games and finishing second on the premiership ladder, Melbourne's campaign was marred by inconsistency - a trait rarely associated with Bellamy's sides.
Inexplicable losses to the Dragons and Sea Eagles were emblematic of broader issues within the team.
They struggled to keep their best players on the field at the same time and, even when they did, the trademark connection and precision that define the Storm's play-style was missing.
Fans hoped the spark seen in their preliminary final victory over the Sharks - when their strongest side finally clicked - would carry through to the decider.
But in the grand final, it was Brisbane's star players who took control. The Broncos' spine orchestrated a stunning 14-0 second half, a comeback that ultimately proved fatal for Melbourne's premiership hopes.
MORE: Craig Bellamy offers blunt assessment after grand final heartbreak
Has the Storm's magic finally worn off?
For years, the Storm's dominance has been built on the reliability and consistency of their spine.
In 2025, that stability was tested. Between Ryan Papenhuyzen's stop-start campaign due to head knocks, Cameron Munster's tragic personal issues, Jahrome Hughes' dislocated shoulder and busted forearm, and Harry Grant's suspensions, the Storm attack lacked its usual fluency.
Even when all four stars took the field together, the timing and execution often seemed slightly off.
Nick Meaney, Tyran Wishart, Jonah Pezet and Bronson Garlick all played a role throughout the year, but those small lapses in chemistry were the difference between lifting the trophy and watching someone else do it again.
To say that this will be a persistent issue heading into coming seasons would be premature, however, if the Storm are to be competitive again with the best teams in 2026, they need those four to be firing on all cylinders.
What's next for the Melbourne Storm?
With Bellamy confirming that he'll coach on in 2026, the focus now turns to how the Storm evolve from perennial contenders to premiers once more.
Their top-30 remains among the NRL's best, but managing the fitness of Papenhuyzen, Munster, Hughes and Grant will be a key offseason priority.
There's also speculation around potential roster movement, with expansion teams circling, the club will have some major list-management decisions to make.
Young guns like Jack Howarth, Sua Fa'alogo, Pezet and Stefano Utoikamanu all loom as important pieces for the club's next phase.
However, come November 1, recruitment will most likely focus on depth in the forwards, as the bench unit struggled at times to maintain the momentum generated by the starters.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona in theory should've fulfilled this role, but his struggles with discipline throughout the year made him a non-factor come finals.
The Storm's culture of accountability and excellence hasn't gone anywhere - and history shows that Bellamy's sides rarely stay down for long.
After two consecutive heartbreaks, expect Melbourne to return in 2026 with a renewed hunger and a point to prove.
Because if we've learned anything over the past two decades, it's that you can never count out the Melbourne Storm.