Des’ mind games won’t work on Storm: Bellamy
STORM coach Craig Bellamy has accused Des Hasler of mind games ahead of Friday night’s qualifying final after the Manly coach declared “maybe Melbourne are impossible to beat”.
The premiers head into the finals with the minor premiership in the bag, and as the new equal record holder of the biggest winning streak in ARL/NRL history with 19.
Parramatta ended their run, but Storm bounced back last week with a win against Cronulla, despite resting several stars.
Speaking on Thursday, Hasler admitted his side’s best might not even be good enough.
“I guess you can only really put your best foot forward and that is what it is all about,” Hasler said.
“Maybe Melbourne are impossible to beat, so we will have to wait and see. They are a good side, a very good side.”
Bellamy said neither he nor his side would be sucked in by Hasler’s comment.
“I think Des might be just playing a couple of games there trying to get our boys a little bit overconfident, which they won’t be, I can promise you that,” Bellamy said.
The Storm coach also took exception to Hasler using the word “grind” to describe his Storm side.
“With all due respect, I don’t know whether that ‘grind’ you say that we are, I think we’ve scored a fair few points this year,” Bellamy said. “Obviously Manly are free flowing and very effective with what they do and they’ve got the players to play that way, but I don’t know whether we’re such a big contrast.”
Star five-eighth Cameron Munster is no certainty to face the Sea Eagles due to the risk of infection.
“It’s not so much he’s got a knee injury but it’s been split open and he’s had stitches internally and stitches on the outside, and they’re just worried about it opening up again,” Bellamy said.