Rugby League: Nurturing talent at eye of the Storm

By PETER JESSUP

Craig Bellamy had no burning desire to be a top-grade coach despite a pedigree as a player and assistant that was one of the best in the league.

The Wests Tigers tried to buy him from Brisbane last year, but he was happy in his fifth season as Wayne Bennett's assistant - they had competed in playoffs every year he was there and won two grand finals.

But the approach made him think about his future and when the Melbourne Storm came to the end of the road with Chris Anderson and offered Bellamy the job, he leaped at it.

It has been tough for the 44-year-old leaving his wife and two teenage children in Brisbane, where his son and daughter are finishing high school. He sees them once every month or six weeks when home to watch feeder club Brisbane Norths.

Bellamy has done well throughout his career - two premiership titles with the Raiders in 1989 and 1990, and on the coaching staff with the Broncos when they won in 1998 and 2000.

He is doing well with the team he inherited. The Storm are sitting in the top eight, which they could not manage in either 2001 or last year.

Six new first-grade players have been brought through: Billy Slater, Cameron Smith, Semi Tadulala, Dustin Cooper, Dallas Johnson from Norths, and Glen Turner, utility forward from Christchurch.

The players say guiding the youngsters is Bellamy's forte. He agrees. "I relate well to the young guys, I get on well with them and understand their emotions.

"It's not easy in your first season. It can be a big high for four or six weeks, then the reality of the grind sets in.

"The week-in, week-out intensity they find hard. They're not used to training every day.

"You have to help the players off the field as well as on it because the mental side of things plays a big part."

Bellamy says he is lucky to have experience in the squad, not least from skipper Stephen Kearney, who is now the most-played New Zealander in the Australian premiership.

"Robbie Kearns, Marcus Bai, Matt Geyer - we have lots of veterans to draw on to help solidify the plan."

Bellamy arrived at an unhappy camp at the end of last year, Anderson having left mid-season and Mark Murray unable to pick up the pieces.

"My No 1 aim was to build a happy and stable environment."

To do that he involves players in the decision-making.

"They don't set the game-plan but they get a say. Sometimes they have good ideas, sometimes not, but their opinion should be respected and it is.

"I try to help the players with their decision-making. Some are more forthcoming with their ideas and what they're thinking than others. But it's important that they all have the option."

Bellamy cannot say how much of his coaching method he took from Bennett nor any one trait or practice he may have picked up.

"Five years under his influence - yeah, I learned a lot. No one thing that stands out, but a method, a disciplined approach ... "

He also learned to live with the highs and lows, and finds the rollercoaster ride of coaching less emotionally taxing than he did when he started at Canberra in 1993, the year after he finished a decade-long, 148-game playing career with the Raiders.

As a former player, he finds it hard sitting in the stands wondering why the team cannot or will not follow the game-plan.

"Some losses are harder to take than others. But I've mellowed a bit and now I'm more likely to look forward to the next training, where there's an opportunity to rectify things."

This is Bellamy's first visit to Ericsson Stadium as head coach and he is looking forward to a good measure of where his side is at in the run-up to finals.

The Storm have the Bulldogs away next weekend, then the Eels and Dragons away.

All the teams are looking at 30 points as the minimum to make the final eight. A lot of the upcoming games, including tonight, are four-pointers - lose and you could be out of a playoff position.

Bellamy does not see the fact that Warriors linchpin Stacey Jones is out as indicating an easy road tonight. He reckons the Storm will not pay any special attention to replacement Lance Hohaia or rookie Thomas Leuluai.

"Hohaia has done it before. He's played test football, he's a good defender and he'll be determined to do well after losing his spot for a while.

"We won't be worrying about anything they do. We're concerned with what we control and what we can do right."

The Storm flew in yesterday afternoon as named on Tuesday, trained at Cornwall Park and have no injury concerns.

The Warriors are also injury-free.

While the Storm are expected to wait until an hour before kick-off before shortening their bench, the Warriors made their move yesterday, taking out Karl Te Mata.

Warriors: Brent Webb, Henry Fa'afili, Vinnie Anderson, Clinton Toopi, Francis Meli, Thomas Leuluai, Lance Hohaia, Jerry Seuseu, Monty Betham (c), Richard Villasanti, Ali Lauiti'iti, Awen Guttenbeil, Logan Swann; interchange Tevita Latu, Iafeta Palea'aesina, Wairangi Koopu, Sione Faumuina.

Storm: Billy Slater, Fifita Moala, Steven Bell, David Kidwell, Marcus Bai, Matt Geyer, Matt Orford, Robbie Kearns, Cameron Smith, Mitchell Sargent, Peter Robinson, Stephen Kearney (c), Dallas Johnson; interchange Danny Williams, Ryan Hoffman, Kirk Reynoldson, Glen Turner, Nathan Friend (one to be omitted).

Referee: Steve Clark. Kickoff: 7.30pm. TV: Live on Sky 1. Curtain-raiser: Eastern Tornadoes v Canterbury Bulls. Kickoff 5pm.

Tornadoes: P. Fisiiahi, P. Pulini, G. Tupou, D. Fisiiahi, N. Ngametua, R. Gentles, J. Noble, K. Mene, N. Scanlon, S. Faitala, P. Leuluai, E. Leuluai, L. Tufeao. Res: A. Fausa, P. Sene, W. Sua, T. Pulini. Coach: James Leuluai.

Bulls: L. Sione, E. HeiHei, R. Martin, S. Wallace, R. Hanson, A. Harris, J. O'Brien, V. Whare, S. Beyers, A. Timo, C. Lawrie, J. Clarke, T. Wallace. Res: C. Herekotukutuku, C. Newton, D. Champion, T. Pelenise. Coach: Phil Prescott.