When you spend a big part of your waking life studying rugby league videos and analysing the figures, occasionally you stop, go back and check, re-check, where an achievement is too good to be true.
Modern day rugby league in the toughest competition in the world, the NRL, carries a salary cap introduced in 1990 and was specifically designed to create an even playing field so that all 16 teams can be competitive.
With the top four teams all finishing the 2018 season on 34 points and teams five to eight on 32 points, the testimony is solid that little separates the best team from the worst.
Figures for over 100,000 players in various rugby league matches hit my desk during the course of the season, but the one stat that made me sit up and take notice is not from a player, but a coach.
If the Melbourne Storm defeats either the Sharks or the Panthers in the second Preliminary Final next week, it will give their champion coach Craig Bellamy an astonishing 50 per cent record for making a grand final in his 16 years of NRL coaching.
No other long term coach comes close.
To fully grasp the enormity of this potential feat, Craig Bellamy has defied logic in an era where all 16 teams can win any match on any given day.
Storm coach Craig Bellamy (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The game’s strongest club, the Brisbane Broncos have not won a grand final since they defeated Bellamy’s Storm in 2006, and finished runners up in 2015 to a Jonathan Thurston golden point special.
Since winning in 2000, the Broncos have only made two grand final appearances.
The Storm, under Bellamy, have made seven grand finals since 2003 and are odds on the make it eight this year, or four times since 2012.
Craig Bellamy is often compared to Wayne Bennett, the only other highly successful coach practicing his art over more than ten years.
Bennett has made nine grand finals in his illustrious career as an NRL coach over 32 years – that’s 28 per cent, itself a stunning figure, which is why Bellamy’s looming 50 per cent is off the planet.
Coach Wayne Bennett (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Pro punter ‘Old Bar Mick’ texted prior to the Storm took on the Rabbitohs to say that he had “taken Craig on again”. Mick very rarely gets it wrong as he has a wonderful ratings system and understanding of the game, but over the last three seasons he has not taken into account that Craig Bellamy is not your normal coach and team ratings need to be adjusted with that in mind.
His team constantly out performs the market, but last week Mick was lucky.
Even though the Storm were able to win by implementing yet another Bellamy master plan, Mick was able to secure a two points start by investing into the Rabbitohs who lost by one point when Munster kicked that wobbly field goal with minutes to spare.
To put the Bellamy coaching record into perspective; ask any NRL Chief Executive what they would pay for a guaranteed grand final appearance every second year and they would offer a blank cheque.
Legendary Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson won 13 Premier League titles during his illustrious 26 years (50 per cent), but with no salary cap to hinder recruitment, the great man could buy whoever he wanted. He did not have to enter a finals series, which in NRL terms means he won 13 minor premierships in 26 seasons.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson has won the minor premiership four times in his six-year NRL coaching career, but to date has only qualified his team for a single Grand final – which he won in his rookie year of 2013.
Like the Storm, the Roosters will be odds on to make the Grand Final this year when they play either the Rabbitohs or the Dragons.
If Craig Bellamy, a confessed workaholic, hits the 50 per cent grand finals mark this year, the salary cap have forced him to do it without internationals Cooper Cronk, Jordan McLean and Tohu Harris who all played in the winning 2017 grand final team.
Next season he will lose his champion fullback Billy Slater (retiring), while his decorated captain Cam Smith has already retired from rep footy.
Wayne Bennett lookalike, Clint Eastwood sums up Craig Bellamy best when he said: “What you put into life is what you get out of it”.
Well played, coach.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I have no problem acknowledging all of that. You just can’t use Bellamy’s record from 06-10 as a measure of his success. His team che@ted and was massively over the cap. You and the author could make a very convincing argument that Bellamy is the bes coach of the modern era just using his legal results from 2011-2018. I’m all ears and I may very well agree with you. The Storm che@ted in 06-10. To say “other clubs were doing it too” or “their value went up because they were successful” or whatever else is what’s misguided. They systematically and deliberately chose to break the rules. That’s che@ting. End of story. It’s like me writing an article that the 2002 Bulldogs were the best team of the modern era. They won 17 games straight. They accumulated 45 competition points and had a f/a of +272. All of that is true...only problem is they che@ted to do it and their records for that season don’t deserve to be considered.
ANGUS MCCASKILL
Roar Rookie
For goodness sake mate...your reasoning is ONEROUS!!!
ANGUS MCCASKILL
Roar Rookie
Legendary response Joe, but STORM HATERS are BLIND to reasoning!!!
ANGUS MCCASKILL
Roar Rookie
Well said Grendon!!!
ANGUS MCCASKILL
Roar Rookie
Aaargh...and Bellamy turned them all into players who excelled and thus their value skyrocketed...some became TEST players!!!
ANGUS MCCASKILL
Roar Rookie
Unbelievable biased misguided comments regarding the STORM cheating...OK...they paid an extremely harsh penalty unlike previous clubs who we all know cheated the salary cap. And yes, as has happened since the Storm's inception, discarded players from rival clubs were given an opportunity to further their career in Melbourne. Bellamy turned them into WINNERS...their value SKY rocketed...the rest is history...go figure!!! Bellamy deserves the accolades as the most successful NRL coach of the Modern era!!!
ANGUS MCCASKILL
Roar Rookie
Agree 100% Scott...the HATERS will be out in their droves if the STORM reach the 2018 Grand Final and and WIN!!!
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Taree, The good thing about The Roar and indeed living in this great country is we have free speech and you are very entitled to yours. You describe Bellamy as " a great coach of SMITH, SLATER , CRONK etc" and "he just is a good coach of great players." Taree what you have not comprehended is that those "great players" were NO NAMES when they first met Craig.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
I wonder if Ribot was keeping an eye on Ken Arthurson in his time at Manly Scott. Arthurson made a very hard job look easy.
Taree Raider
Guest
Craig Bellamy is a great coach of SMITH, SLATER , CRONK etc. When SMITH doesn't play Craig is a below average coach. Storm vs Sea Eagles grand final, 40 point loss. By the way SMITH was suspended from that game by a Bellamy encouraged chicken wing tackle. Craig attempted to show the world how good a coach he was when he took on the NSW SOO gig. If anyone could limit SMITH, SLATER or CRONK Craig should have been able to but he didn't. Craig will do anything to win, include cheat. Whether that is by the salary cap, excessive wrestling or deliberate tackling which will injure the opposition he will be all for it. So I don't think that he is really a great coach, he just is a good coach of great players.
Knight Vision
Guest
What are you talking about? Zalera isnt bagging Santa Clause he's bagging the league equivalent of Ben Johnson. Do you celebrate a 2 legged runner competing against people on 1 leg? Utter rubbish. If Zalera doesnt understand the game then I completely misunderstand what sport is and what the spirit of good sportsmanship is. Bellamy does not have the record that you so publically flagellate at every given opportunity. Thank goodness the records actually disagree with you. The Storm cheated every sports loving league loving fan of the game, they cheated not only the fans but every sportsman and every administrator and every kid and every punter out there that has anything to do with Rugby League. 50 % success rate ? Take another hit of the crack pipe.
Taree Raider
Guest
I have always been critical of the way, Bellamy has been given preferential treatment by the media over the Salary Cap infringements. Why wasn't he, SMITH & SLATER publicly challenged about their involvement in the disgraceful behaviour. They shouldn't have been allowed back into the game until it was all explained. They cheated, they got caught. Bellamy openly claims the victories which were won by cheating. No one pulls him up for it. I know that providing an articulate sentence is of some difficulty for Craig but as a fan we all deserve to know who got what & who was actually involved. The footage of Bellamy leading the team out onto the training paddock after they were busted, they stood there in front of the camera, then turned around and walked off. They forgot to put their middle finger up at us. Nathan Hindmarsh's recent comment about being beaten in 2009 by the Storm was assisted by them being 3mil over the salary cap is not to be forgotten. Don't forget the excessive wrestling, chicken wing, cannonball, crusher & whatever other attempts to slow & or injure the opposition which is engineered by Bellamy & executed by SMITH, all those are still cheating. So to look at the article in a different light it should read. Bellamy is the most successful CHEAT of the modern era.
The Barry
Roar Guru
It’s got nothing to do with being a Storm hater (what a juvenile expression that is). I’m happy to look at Bellamy’s record from 2011 onwards for all the things you’ve mentioned and acknowledge he’s a great coach and the Storm are a great club. But I’m not slapping him on the back for having a great record when his clubs was systematically rorting the cap. If anything the Storm’s record since shows how silly and unnecessary it was for them to rort the cap.
The Barry
Roar Guru
Are you serious? Can you read? No they didn’t che@t in 2011-2018 and those are the years that as I said “you can make an extremely convincing argument about Bellamy’s standing as a coach” But regardless how good they’ve been since, they did che@t systematically and comprehensively from 06-10 and taking those years into account is tainted. Would you cop an article from a Bulldogs fan banging on about how good the 2002 team was? Of course not.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
bazza, You cant even spell SLATER. I will assume you are only a 7 year old kid so I will drop off.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Forty, I pointed out earlier how influential John Ribot has been building the clubs culture, and he has also had a big influence in the current Board of Directors who are some of the most astute guys in any business. If you get it wrong at the top, it makes it difficult to prosper below.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Albo, So true mate. Dont forget the Waratahs best player, Izzy Folau who had 52 games at the Storm as a kid in 2007 and 2008 scoring 52 tries.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Chris, I believe they still could have made the 8 that year, but they were gutted with moral low. Amazing fight back.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Randy, The unsung hero in Melb is John Ribot as he founded the club and established the winning culture that has ever changed.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Forty, Well said mate. The Newcastle blimp of Bennett's radar came about because he knew he would not be there for long and tried to recruit players who could win him a p'ship instantly instead of re-building like Brownie is. Bennett got it wrong but I still rate him a great coach. The Knights are very lucky to have someone with the patience and footy nous of Nathan Brown to re- build for them. He is doing a great job.