After announcing the re-signing of Craig Bellamy, Melbourne Storm chief executive Ron Gauci proclaimed: “Without doubt that is a magnificent result for the club, for rugby league and particularly the sport in Victoria”.
Obviously for the club it is a significant event, and not just because they retained a coach who has taken them to five grand finals in ten seasons.
It appears they may have been in real danger of finally falling apart if Bellamy had decided to depart. Firstly, there are the get-out clauses in the contracts of captain Cameron Smith and the newly re-signed Clive Churchill medallist Cooper Cronk.
Also prospective buyers and existing sponsors would insist on having the master coach at the helm.
If Bellamy was the key ingredient in the Storm’s success over the last decade then his retention is also vital for the growth of the game in Victoria.
Nothing attracts children to a sporting pursuit more than seeing a winning team play it and there is no doubt the club’s performances have been responsible for the increased participation of juniors throughout the state, and in the SG Ball and Toyota Cup competitions, culminating in the impressive debut last year of the first born and bred Victorian Mahe Fonua.
Is Bellamy’s retention, however, good for the game in general?
A strong Melbourne club is important for rugby league if it wants to become a truly national game.
But has Melbourne been too successful? Followers of traditional clubs have every right to feel deeply envious of the fortunes of this team in the southern outpost. Phil Gould openly admitted he despised the venture when it was thrown together by Super League CEO John Ribot with some leftovers from that extinct competition.
Rubbing salt into the wound, they immediately found success, finishing third in their inaugural year and then, unbelievably, and in heartbreaking circumstances for Dragons fans, they claimed the premiership in only their second season.
Living outside the Sydney NRL bubble they were able to think outside the square.
Four years later Wayne Bennett’s assistant turned up to halt the club’s first slide. His name was Craig Bellamy and it wouldn’t be long before he would cast his great former mentor and team into the shadows.
Many people derided the Storm’s success as being largely a result of unlimited funding by its owner News Ltd. Its ethics too were questioned over the use of an allegedly dangerous wrestle-type tackling technique.
And then came the salary cap scandal. The vitriol from opposition supporters was justified and understandable but it also reflected a misguided belief that their own teams’ prolonged lack of success was entirely due to the cheating of others and not to a lack of professionalism in their own club.
There is no doubt that the scandal has soiled the wonderful achievements of the Storm and the legacy of Bellamy despite the minor premiership and premiership since.
Some have suggested that it would have been better for the competition if Bellamy had left to invigorate a long suffering team and Storm were forced to start afresh.
The reason I disagree with that is the reason Bellamy stayed.
Despite the extreme professionalism of the modern game and the corporate feel of clubs like the Storm, Bellamy said : “This is my club. I love the players, not only as a coach but as a person”.
Now that has got to be good for the game. If only every club could have a coach like Craig Bellamy.
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