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.
stormtrooper4
Guest
until midway through last year, you had to wait till 2 am in the morning to watch the games mate, i would stay awake to watch of course but you wouldn't think many would.
JayBob
Guest
A Manly fan suggesting Melbourne and Canterbury staff help run the NRL? I knew I liked this website for a reason :) Fully agree, and I hope your on the money with the revolt. Something needs to be done. Looks as though this David Smith is just another puppet for Gyngell, but its still only early days so I hope I'm wrong. What's annoying me lately is the constant rule changes, the shoulder charge is going to be missed obviously, and this latest one about the obstruction is going to cause havoc. Apparently the decoy runner is penalised if he makes contact with any defender at all, doesn't matter if he was on the other side of the field to the ball, or more importantly if the defender makes the wrong decision(or deliberately milks the penalty). The purpose of a decoy runner is to create confusion(legally); if the defender makes the wrong decision and takes the decoy runner instead of the ball carrier then the decoy has worked. (As long as nothing illegal has been done such as running behind your own player with the ball, obviously) If the Fox article I read is correct this rule will completely remove decoys from the game, how much more predictable will attack be? Not to mention the milking of penalties by defenders, when all they have to do is move into the path of the runner. Within 6 months they've removed two important aspects of the game that have been around for over 100 years. What is going on!
Bearfax
Guest
Neither am I . I'm a Manly tragic through and through but I respect talent generally and can see the need to get some of the best of the League in charge because the present lot are just occupying a parking space. I'd also be giving Canterbury's boss a position in the NRL. he seems smart, and dont we need that.
Symbolsoup
Roar Rookie
Couldn't agree more Bearfax, and I'm not the biggest Melbourne fan (although I bleed maroon). Time to get some intelligent league people taking control of the game we all love so much.
Bearfax
Guest
No question that Bellamy has done a wondrous job at Melbourne and for the sake of the game, we've needed a successful coach down there to help build up the game. A shame that the NRL administration is at such a low ebb at present, because there needs to be strong support for such clubs. Cam Smith, who I suspect will later coach Melbourne and probably then move into NRL administration ( and that would be a big plus) has already gone public and let the NRL know its decision not to expand is pure folly. This is a time to show that NRL can be a truly national game and perhaps even get Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands more involved possibly with a PNG side in the NRL before the end of the decade. Maybe even Japan later on....I'm not kidding here. because thats where the money is and they like Rugby League. We've floundered around since the SuperLeague war. The game was growing big time up till then and has since been stagnating with only minimal development that has brought us back to about a 1995 level. The present administration is in a state of inertia and I am led to believe that the 16 teams are close to revolting. We need the smart people like Bellamy and Cam Smith and a few other innovative people around the League to take control of the game and move it to the next level.
RebelRanger
Guest
You very rarely hear of the Storm down here (or league in general) unless theres some scandal. Channel 9 is hopeless so no one watches it.
AGO74
Guest
The thing with Melbourne is that they always produce good quality youngsters. Ok, so it is a bit easier for those youngsters when they come into 1st grade alongside Smith, Slater, Cronk but the fact is they still produce them and have produced them consistently. No prizes for guessing who will be groomed to takeover as coach over the next few years when Bellamy leaves - Cam Smith. In short, the club has a long-term future plan now sorted and that is almost as important as the fact Bellamy has stayed on. Also - on Storm v Saints. Honestly, why would you? Saints are on a massive slide and it would take him 2-3 years to re-build at least. Saints are a very different team to the one which Bennett took over which was full of quality players at or near their peak.
Mendip
Guest
Any betting bellamy doesnt sign up again in 3 years when the big 3 retire - Bellamy calling for a NRL draft last year was the hint....
Mendip
Guest
They must be asleep - if they read the sports pages and watch Channel Nine they would know of the Storm (and they must have been asleep during the salary cap scandal) Channels 7 and 10 probably have less RL but on a par with Channels 9 and 10 AFL coverage in Sydney when 7 is the AFL rights holder.
Dragons Forever
Guest
Agree 100%. The party can't last forever
Steve Merry
Guest
The problem with the Storm in Melbourne is lack of media support. I still come across people down here who have never heard of the storm and didn't know that Victoria has a RL team.
Coully
Guest
Given that Bellamy, Slater and Smith are all due to retire about the same time the extra funding dries up I think the Storm are headed for a massive fall. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
peeeko
Roar Guru
The storm have had some phenomenal success over their first 15 years. i doubt if any club has won so many games in their early days- obviously they have had many factors in their favour (News limited and a good coach). There will be a time when certain players and coaches retire and there will be some lean years like every club. the big questions here are will the storm need special assistance like the swans in the AFL and what will there crowds be like? Really for such a successful team in a huge sports loving city, the crowds in Melbourne are quite poor and could get embarrassing if the team loses form on the field
Rugby Realist
Guest
The mini dynasty created in a short time reminds me alot of the Brumbies, who had what turned out to be a master coach in McQueen with some established and junior stars, quickly rising to be the best team in the country. I completely agree it is good for the game that he stayed. You cant help but feel the Storm would slowly have died had he left. And with his meticulous planning you would think when he is ready to leave Bellamy would have more succession plans in place, or maybe stay on in an coaching director role