Bellamy key player in Storm’s long run of success

MASTER tactician, reassuring phone caller, half-time blaster, wedding guest — Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy has been many things to his players but they all agree he’s the key to the Storm’s consistent success.

Minor premier Melbourne is contesting its 14th NRL fi- nals campaign in the 15 years Bellamy has been at the club — the only exception being 2010 when they were stripped of competition points for salary cap cheating.

While many credit superstars Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater as the backbone of that unparalleled run, Storm players say it couldn’t have happened without Bellamy.

In Friday night’s preliminary final against Brisbane, Bellamy will coach his 393rd NRL game, drawing level with the great Jack Gibson at seventh on the all-time list.

He has the best strike-rate of the current crop of NRL coaches, with 267 wins at 67.6 per cent, with the Roosters’ Trent Robinson next best at 62.3 per cent from 130 games.

To his players, however, there are many, often more personal, reasons why they rate him the best.

“He’s a huge part of this club — I don’t know if the club would be where it is without him,” says forward Tim Glasby.

Fellow prop Jesse Bromwich said that Bellamy’s support when he was involved in a drugs scandal while on Test duty in May helped him through a tough time in which he lost the Kiwis captaincy and was banished for the World Cup.

“He’d call me and make sure I was all right and pull me into his office and he’d ring my partner to make sure she was fine,” Bromwich said.

“It goes to show what type of fella he is and I just feel very lucky to be a part of this club and he’s a big part of that.”