End of an era: Bromwich bros approach final act for Storm against Warriors

It has been more than 12 years since Melbourne last played the Warriors without a Bromwich in their team, and barring something miraculous, Friday night will be the last time either of the Auckland-born siblings takes the field against their hometown club as members of the Storm.

With both brothers bound for the Dolphins in 2023, the family appearance streak in the fixture, which currently sits at 22 consecutive games, will end at Mt Smart Stadium where they will have a large contingent of family and friends in the crowd.

Kenny, who lost his first two games against the Warriors but has won all 10 since, told pan66.com it’s something he and Jesse will probably reflect on more once their time at the Storm is over.

“That’s crazy, I’d never stopped to think about that, but hearing that it’s been 12 years is pretty crazy,” Kenny said.

“When it’s done it’s probably something we will look back at.

“It’s something we always look forward to… we did follow the Warriors a bit growing up, but we mostly just played the game hard out on the street, we didn’t watch much footy.”

Melbourne have dominated the head-to-head meetings between the two clubs in recent times, winning every game against the Warriors since 2016 and outscoring them by 204 points to 52 in their last four meetings.

But still it remains a special occasion when they play, with a set tradition of meeting on Anzac Day in Melbourne and the Michael Moore Trophy – played in honour of the late Storm football manager – going on the line each time they play. 

As New Zealanders, it’s also been a chance for the Bromwich brothers to come up against old friends, many of whom they have played alongside in Tests for New Zealand.

“Heaps of good friendships with a lot of the lads there,” Kenny said.

It’s always a special game to be playing…the Warriors game is something that I know a lot of us [Kiwis] look forward to.

Kenny Bromwich

“There is no one standout memory, but every time playing against the Warriors on Anzac Day here in Melbourne, it’s one of the games I know I really enjoy playing in and I think everyone here in Melbourne loves coming to.

“That’s a game that I always really like and I reckon that’s probably one I’ll miss too.”

With 497 combined appearances in the Melbourne jersey between them, plus three Premierships, Storm legend Tawera Nikau rates the brothers among the best Kiwis to have played for the club.

“If you go back to the Kiwis who have played for the Storm – Stephen Kearney, myself, David Kidwell, Matty Rua – for longevity and consistency, I think they are right at the top of the tree,” Nikau told pan66.com.

“They have done it for so long and their form has been outstanding.

“Kenny is probably one of the most underrated backrowers in the NRL, you know what you are going to get week in, week out.

“The Storm will be losing a lot of leadership when they go, they both really bring a winning attitude and a culture of consistency… it’ll be interesting to see who fills that void for Melbourne.”