Bellamy to go with his gut on risky selections
MELBOURNE coach Craig Bellamy will rely on a ‘‘gut feel ’’ in decidingwhether to risk Tui Kamikamica in the NRL grand final despite the powerhouse prop not playing for almost a month and only featuring in five games for the season.
Kamikamica and utility back Nicho Hynes both ran with the side in their final training session in Queensland yesterday before boarding a plane for Sydney ahead of tonight’s title clash with Penrith.
Hynes came off the bench in Melbourne’s preliminary final win over Canberra and would be considered unlucky to miss out should Bellamy opt for power over pace.
Neither has appeared in a grand final before. Kamikamica played the first two rounds of the season but then missed most of the campaign after undergoing back surgery in June.
The Fiji-born monster, who stands 195cm and weighs in at 110kg, then injured his ankle in round 20, and also copped a onematch ban.
‘‘Both guys trained this morning and Craig will make that decision himself,’’ said Storm assistant Ryan Hinchcliffe.
‘‘Tui is coming back from an injury and hasn’t played for five weeks so there’s a little bit of risk in that, while Nicho has been coming off the bench for us.
‘‘I can’t explain exactly but [Bellamy] talks to players in the team and people aroundwhose input he values and then he goes with his gut. He will choose who he thinks is going to suit our team best.’’
Melbourne players were unable to have a final training run at ANZ Stadium and had to settle for awalk around.
While relieved they did not have to travel on the match day as they had done through the season, Hinchcliffe said it was not ideal to miss a run-through.
‘‘You’d prefer to have the opportunity but in saying that it’s been one of those years where things that you’d want to do you can’t, so it is what it is,’’ he said.
‘‘We played Souths there in about round 17 so it wasn’t that long ago that we played on that field. The players will go to the field and have a look around and the enormity of the situation will sink in.’’
Rain and cool conditions have been forecast as well as a heavy track, in contrast to the hard, fast fields at their adopted ‘‘home’’ of Sunshine Coast Stadium and Suncorp Stadium.
‘‘There will be some adjusting to the conditions, there’s no doubt about that,’’ said Hincliffe, who was part of Melbourne’s grand final wins in 2009 and 2012.
‘‘We will have to tweak a few things with what we do when we’ve got the ball but we’ve got a style of footy we think can hold up in dry and wet.’’
Justin offers little technical advice now, with Isaah claiming he is more interested in the Panthers’ gossip and tactics.
While he and mum Amy will be in the stands today to watch him take on Melbourne, they won’t be the only family members on Isaah’s mind
His uncle Gerard’s name remains tattooed on his left shoulder, with the Coogee Dolphins player and Bali
Bombings victim never far from his thoughts on the field.
‘‘Most of the boys in the family on dad’s side, our cousins and stuff, just have his name and the date of the bombing,’’ Isaah said.
‘‘I don’t remember an awful lot ... but you do remember bits and pieces that aren’t nice. Like going to the family’s house the day it happened. It wasn’t a nice time for the family, Dubbo or Coogee.’’