The Manly–Melbourne NRL rivalry is between two National Rugby League clubs, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Melbourne Storm, who are engaged in a modern-day rivalry. They have met 42 times since 1998, with Melbourne leading the head-to-head 25–16; there has also been a drawn match between the two sides. They have finished three regular seasons as the top two placed sides on the premiership ladder (2007, 2008 and 2011), although in the cases of 2007 and 2008, Melbourne had those minor premierships stripped from them due to the discovery of salary cap breaches in April 2010.
History
1998–2005
The Melbourne Storm and Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles first met in Round 18 of the 1998 NRL season, with the Storm winning 22–12 at Olympic Park Stadium. During the 2000-02 Northern Eagles period, Melbourne won three games over the failed joint venture and lost two. However Manly's first official victory over the Storm came soon after they were re-instated to the NRL in Round 6 of the 2003 season, with a 20–14 victory at Brookvale Oval.
The rivalry began in 2005, when Manly and Melbourne met in an early-season top-of-the-table clash at Brookvale Oval. The Sea Eagles defeated the Storm 25–18, on their way to reaching their first finals series since 1998. This match also marked the NRL debut of Steve Matai for the Manly-Warringah club.
2006–2009
Throughout 2007, Melbourne and Manly were in a two-way tussle for top spot on the ladder for much of the season. They met only once during the regular season, in Round 11, with Manly winning a close and physical match 13–12; the match also featured two serious injuries, whereby Billy Slater copped an accidental knee from team-mate Sam Tagataese and George Rose suffered a horrific leg injury.
The two teams would later feature in the 2007 NRL Grand Final, the first of two consecutive Grand Finals played between the two clubs. Melbourne defeated Manly-Warringah 34–8 to win their second premiership, in a match which was notable for Melbourne enforcer Michael Crocker taking out Manly fullback Brett Stewart early in the second half with a hard but legal tackle; however, on 22 April 2010, Melbourne would be stripped of this premiership due to the discovery of salary cap breaches throughout the courses of the 2006–10 seasons.
There were three meetings between the two clubs in 2008. Melbourne won both of their regular season meetings, including in the Grand Final replay in Round 5, and also at Brookvale Oval later in the season, though it was Manly-Warringah that won the match that mattered the most, the 2008 NRL Grand Final; in a rematch of the previous year's premiership decider, Manly-Warringah would record a 40–0 victory to win their seventh premiership title and in the process deny the Melbourne club back-to-back premierships. Two of Manly's standout performers on the day were er Michael Robertson, who equaled the Grand Final record by scoring three tries, and Clive Churchill Medal winner, -forward Brent Kite. This loss was the third worst defeat in Melbourne's history, and it was the first time since 1978 that the losing team did not score a point (coincidentally, Manly also won the 1978 GF replay defeating Cronulla-Sutherland 16-0 after the original GF had been drawn 11-all). Manly's 40-0 win over Melbourne also broke the record winning margin for a Grand Final, beating the 38-0 win by Eastern Suburbs over St George in 1975.
The rivalry remained strong after 2008, despite there being no subsequent Grand Final meetings between the two clubs. The two teams traded victories at each other's home grounds in 2009, with Melbourne winning at Brookvale Oval in Round 8 and Manly winning in Melbourne for the first time in Round 24, before Melbourne defeated Manly 40–12 in the qualifying final at Etihad Stadium en route to winning another premiership which would also later be stripped from them due to salary cap breaches.
2010–present
Manly won both of their premiership meetings in 2010, first at Etihad Stadium in Round 6 by 18–16 (in the last match before the Storm's breaches of the salary cap between 2006 and 2010 were uncovered) and then at Brookvale Oval in Round 22 by 26–6. In both matches, Manly led 18–6 at half-time.