Marcus Bai

Papua New Guinea (1995 World Cup) and former Gold Coast winger joined Melbourne following the demise of the Chargers at the end of 1997. Bai, who played for his country in the 1995 World Cup before earning a contract with Hull, quickly gained the respect of the newly converted Melbourne fans. His darting runs, and an ability to act as an extra forward saw him finish the Storm’s debut season as one of the finds of the 1998 season. After starring in Melbourne’s premiership-winning season in 1999, Bai was injured when he severed a tendon in his arm - the result of his collision with sideline advertising at Melbourne’s Olympic Stadium. Representing Papua New Guinea in the 2000 World Cup, he maintained his position as the Storm’s leading try-scorer before returning to England at the end of 2003 (his club record has since been bettered by Matt Geyer). Bai was a member of the Leeds team that won the English Super League Grand Final in 2004, and the team that defeated the Bulldogs 39-32 in the World Club Challenge, but transferred to Bradford in 2006 before announcing his retirement at the end of the season.