Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says his team has drawn added motivation for the 2015 NRL season from their painful finals exit last year.
The team were eliminated in week one by a merciless Canterbury outfit, but it was the manner of their defeat that rankles Bellamy and his players.
In front of a home crowd they trailed 24-0 at halftime time before losing 28-4.
Bellamy said then that he was “embarrassed” by the first half performance and five months on, it still stings.
“There’s always a couple of games throughout your career that you look back on and thought that hurt or that was harder to take than others and that was one of them and it was all our own doing,” Bellamy said.
“It left a sour taste in our mouth so you’d like to think that’s going to drive us a little bit more.
“It was a really disappointing way to finish, so hopefully we can learn from our mistakes.”
But can you teach an old dog new tricks – with the Storm’s three big stars Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater on the wrong side of 30?
It was revealed post-season that Slater had played since the final State of Origin match using pain-killers to mask a shoulder injury that required surgery.
A fully fit and firing Slater will go a long way towards helping the Storm add to their 1999 and 2012 premierships.
In the AFL heartland, “premiership window” is a buzz term.
Bellamy believes the Storm’s still sits wide, despite the ageing of his key trio.
“We certainly think our window’s still open,” he said.
“I don’t know whether that’s being naive or practical and realistic but that’s what we see.”
The Storm have lost some important players in Ryan Hoffman (Warriors), Sisa Waqa (Canberra), Justin O’Neill (North Queensland) and Bryan Norrie (retired).
They have recruited some experienced big bodies in Tom Learoyd-Lahrs (Raiders) and Dale Finucane (Canterbury) but perhaps their most important signing is five-eighth Blake Green.
Green made 89 appearances in the Super League with Wigan and Hull KR, having shifted his career overseas after failing to nail down a role with three NRL clubs.
Now 28, Green might be able to take pressure off fellow playmakers Cronk and Smith, which Ben Hampton never really did.
Bellamy said he’s yet to decide who will be the starting No.6, with Hampton still in the race.
“What he’s done in pre-season training we’ve really liked but Ben Hampton’s been the same,” he said.
“Transferring that to the field is going to be the deciding factor.”
Another player Bellamy is trying to squeeze into his match-day squad is Cameron Munster.
The 20-year-old made one NRL appearance last year but is ear-marked for more this season.
With the fullback role filled by Slater, Munster could find himself on the wing or in the centres.
“We are going to try him in a couple of different positions and see how he handles that,” Bellamy said.
“He’s a talented kid and he’s certainly got the ability to play first grade. It’s just a matter of finding that position.”
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