A wall inside Storm HQ at AAMI Park contains a special list of names.
It’s the list of Storm players who have won the Spirit of ANZAC Medal for best player on the field in the annual ANZAC Day clash which, on all but one occasion, has been played against the NZ Warriors.
The winner of the medal is decided by the victorious coach just after the full-time siren with the presentation made on-field during the post-match festivities.
Forward Adam Blair was the first recipient of the Spirit of ANZAC Medal following Storm’s 14-all draw with the Warriors in 2009. Blair went on to play for the Warriors in 2018-20 before bringing an end to his outstanding career that featured 331 NRL appearances, as well as 51 Tests for New Zealand.
The 2013 and 2016 winners, Ryan Hoffman and Tohu Harris, have also played for the Warriors.
Storm legend Cameron Smith filled one of the few holes in his resume when he won the medal in 2019.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Jahrome Hughes are two of three recipients still in the current squad, with Ryan Papenhuyzen taking home the medal last year in Storm's dominating 70-10 victory. Papenhuyzen's stats on the night included scoring the most individual points in an ANZAC game (22 from seven goals and two tries).
Papenhuyzen wins the ANZAC Medal
Storm’s ANZAC Medal recipients
2009 Adam Blair
2010 Cooper Cronk
2012 Kevin Proctor
2013 Ryan Hoffman
2016 Tohu Harris
2017 Nelson Asofa-Solomona
2018 Billy Slater
2019 Cameron Smith
2021 Jahrome Hughes
2022 Ryan Papenhuyzen
The 2023 ANZAC Day clash kicks-off Tuesday, 7pm.
