Marika Koroibete scored a double in a season-opening win against the Dragons while Will Chambers did the same the following week in a 34-16 triumph over the Gold Coast.
Two losses soon followed against the Sharks and Bulldogs before a Round 7 golden point-win over Wests Tigers saw Melbourne hit their straps.
Cronk went on to play his 300th NRL game in a Preliminary final later in the season – becoming just the 25th player to reach that mark.
With their outside back stocks all but depleted, Cheyse Blair, rookie Suliasi Vunivalu and mid-season signing Ryan Morgan were all handed Storm debuts.
Round 10 saw the Melbourne take part in the first ever NRL Double Header in front of 52,347 fans at Suncorp Stadium – the largest non-finals crowd of the season.
That night Cameron Smith helped Storm to a thrilling one-point win over the Cowboys with a field goal in the 71st minute.
The final game of the season saw the men in purple clinch the Club's first Minor Premiership since 2011 with a 26-6 win over Cronulla.
After earning a week off, Craig Bellamy's side booked their place in a sixth Grand Final in 11 years, narrowly defeating the Canberra Raiders 14-12.