Bellamy hails V’landys’ NRL leadership
MELBOURNE Storm coach Craig Bellamy has labelled the leadership of Peter V’landys “tremendous”, saying a proposed resumption date of May 28 has given clubs hope in the midst of uncertainty.
The ARL Commission chairman has received glowing praise within the game for his bullish determination to resume the season after the coronavirus shutdown.
And while the Storm are facing a relocation to the NSW border to start training on May 4, Bellamy said his players had a “spring in their step” as they work towards a competition restart next month.
“I think he’s done a tremendous job,” Bellamy told ABC’s Offsiders yesterday.
“Like I say, it would be easy to sit back on your hands and just wait to see what other people are doing, or what the politicians, you know, are saying or whatever, and the medical people.
“But he’s made a date, and let’s try and make it work.”
With seven days until NRL training is set to resume, the Storm are still deliberating on where to base the team on the NSW border.
Bellamy said the club was weighing up the logistics of moving their entire operation to either Albury or Yarrawonga for three weeks to avoid stricter restrictions in Victoria.
They will be isolated from the community and it would allow players to travel back to Melbourne to visit their families over the weekends.
However, Storm players will need to return to Melbourne from Queensland, while hooker Brandon Smith is training in isolation in a hotel in the city after returning from New Zealand.
It’s a tough scenario for Bellamy to wrangle, but he says the club is willing to do anything for the competition to resume.