NRL 2024: How Craig Bellamy’s Harry Grant captaincy gamble has paid off for Melbourne Storm
Craig Bellamy shocked many when he stripped Christian Welch of the captaincy to make Harry Grant the face of the Melbourne Storm, but the gamble has paid off. Here’s why.
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Four years ago, as Melbourne secured the last premiership that didn’t land in the laps of Penrith, now-Storm captain Harry Grant was watching from a hotel room on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Grant, having just finished a loan stint with the Wests Tigers, had gone into camp with the Maroons while his Melbourne brethren were locked in a battle with the Panthers.
“I was in an Origin camp so I was just stoked that things worked out – I wouldn’t have got the opportunity to be in Origin camp without going on loan to the Tigers,” Grant said.
“So I was pumped up watching the boys and I was so stoked to see them win. That was a good feeling. You do feel a part of it because you did the pre-season at the start of the season.
“They were so dominant that year.”
The Storm were dominant the next year as well, at least until they arrived at the finals and ran into a rampant Panthers side ready to launch a dynasty of their own.
Grant, back in the fold after the end of his Tigers stint, was powerless to stop Penrith as the Storm were eliminated in the preliminary final. It is a loss that burns to this day.
Melbourne were on a roll that season, having won the minor premiership with a side stacked with talent. They had adapted better than most to the six-again rule and seemed destined to win another premiership.
Penrith had other ideas.
“I think 2021 was a year for me that got away,” Grant said.
“I mean, we were the most dominant team all year and then didn’t go on with it. So that was really good learning for me. Real good learning for a lot of the guys in the squad.
“If you look at that team, that was so stacked.
“The way we adapted to the six again rule and the way we’re sort of playing that year, we probably just lacked a bit of experience in the big game.
“I definitely think that year has sort of motivated me as a bit of a missed opportunity.”
Grant doesn’t want to waste another opportunity.
He has waited long enough to play in a grand final and on Sunday night he will arrive as captain of the Storm, having been handed the reins in the pre-season after coach Craig Bellamy opted to shuffle his leadership.
Grant has more than vindicated Bellamy’s decision.
His form has been top drawer over the past two months and there are shades of Cameron Smith about the calm manner in which he deals with teammates and match officials alike.
He appears to be a born leader.
THE DECISION
Bellamy was mulling over a change of leadership in the off-season as he looked to kickstart a new era at the Storm.
Grant had been part of the leadership group in 2023 under Christian Welch and as February arrived, Bellamy – having contemplated going with co-captains – reached his decision.
Grant would be the face of the club.
“He’s always a ball of energy around the place,” Bellamy said.
“I thought perhaps co-captains there at one stage, but I thought with Harry he was pretty keen to take on the role. He’s a pretty confident kid too.
“I knew he’d lead with his actions, not so much his words.
“So that was the important thing. He was going to be around the ball and on the ball most of the time. He knew his footy as well.”
Grant was about to go to sleep when Bellamy called to ask whether he was interested in taking over the captaincy. Bellamy told him to sleep on it.
Grant woke the next morning, drove to training and told Bellamy he was up for it.
Bellamy’s one concern was whether the captaincy would impact Grant’s form.
There were moments earlier this season when perhaps it did – Grant’s form at times though the year was questioned.
It wasn’t that he was playing poorly, just that the bar has been set so high in his young career. Any concerns were allayed as the finals loomed and Grant began to slice and dice opponents.
His performance off the field has been just as impressive as on it in the eyes of Bellamy.
“He’s done a great job off the field,” Bellamy said.
“He’s got genuine care about the club and his teammates. He cares about what we stand for and he cares about his teammates. He’s obviously doing a really good job on the field.
“The biggest thing for him besides all the captaincy things, he’s got to play well on Sunday.
“You just don’t want to sit back and wait for things to happen.
“You got to sort of make things happen. You’ve just got to have that balance between not just being a coach or a general manager, you have to think about your performance too.
“So I think he’s got that balance pretty good.”
THE THINKER
With his shock of blonde hair and his laid-back attitude, Grant looks like he doesn’t have care in the world. He grew up in Yeppoon – a coastal town nearly 700km north of Brisbane – with a surfboard under one arm and a football under the other.
He wanted to be a Brisbane Bronco and worshipped Darren Lockyer, but his father Paul had a longstanding relationship with Storm recruitment guru Paul Bunn and he found his way to Melbourne, emerging through their junior system.
He has always had a twinkle in his eye, but beneath the surface there is a determination that was exemplified by two moments in his formative years – one that almost cost him his life and another that threatened to take away a leg.
Paul Grant told this masthead four years ago about the night he and wife Margie were told to brace for the worst after Harry – then aged 12 – had contracted a staph infection.
Not long after, an all-terrain vehicle rolled on his leg and Grant still bears the scar of that incident that cost him 12 months of his career.
Former Richmond AFL premiership-winning captain Trent Cotchin, who has a leadership and mentoring role with the Storm, insists that when you scratch the surface, you find a determined and deep thinker who has thrown himself into becoming a better leader.
They met for the first time over a coffee in the pre-season and have spoken regularly during the season on the art of captaincy.
“He’s obviously a loveable character,” Cotchin said.
“He has that cheeky grin. Supremely talented but also you can tell that he’s quite a deep thinker with regards to how can I help get the best out of others.
“I think without having a huge awareness of kind of where NRL’s been to where it is now, what I’ve noticed is there’s genuine interest and care about all of his teammates and their journeys to get to where they’ve got to go.
“He’s constantly looking at ways to kind of bring that to life along with the other leaders as part of the group. Almost like being interested rather than interesting and always wanting to find ways where he can connect on a deeper level or give people the opportunity to tell more of their story.
“That’s what I’ve loved about his journey outside of the way that he’s performed on field, the investment in others off field as well.”
Back-rower Shawn Blore revealed after the club’s win over the Sydney Roosters in the preliminary final that Grant had been the driving force behind players sending gratitude letters to each other earlier this season.
Blore was sent one by Cameron Munster and spoke about the impact it had on him.
“It’s different to what I would say people think leadership is,” Cotchin said.
“I reckon most people when they go into a role like Harry has this year, would think that being a captain or being a leader is about you, but it’s actually more about how you help others realise their potential.
“From an outsider looking in but also having that touchpoint on a regular occasion, that’s where I think Harry’s sweet spot is.
“He’s good enough, he knows that he can lead and he knows that he can impact the game from an off-field point of view.
“How do I create an environment or be part of creating an environment where people can genuinely thrive and feel like they can be themselves?
“He’s a star. I don’t want to put pressure on the bloke, but he’s kind of like a complete package, you know? He’s a relationships guy, he gives a shit, but he’s also got a bit of spunk and flair as well.”
THE LARRIKIN
Cooper Johns and Grant were roommates in Melbourne and remain firm friends.
Johns would be more than happy to dish some dirt on his former teammate, but the best he can do is dump on Grant’s thriftiness.
The pair used to share a toilet in their digs and Grant apparently had a penchant for using the toilet paper and not replacing it.
Rather than go out and buy some new rolls, Johns reckons Grant would get up in the morning and use the facilities at the club, leaving him and Tyran Wishart to restock the bathroom.
Jokes aside, Johns insists that Grant was born to lead Melbourne. Even as youngsters, he was the bloke driving the standards and pushing his teammates to elevate themselves.
“When you see how hard he trained as an 18 or 19-year-old, he is the fittest at the club, he does everything so meticulously, he is the first one in the club doing rehab and he is the last one to leave the field,” Johns said.
“He has always set such a high standard. None of it surprises me.”
His work ethic aside, Grant hasn’t lost the earthiness that he brought with him from Yeppoon. His parents Paul and Margie were in the dressing sheds after the preliminary final along with his older brother George.
So too girlfriend Brooke Loiero, his long-time partner who also happens to be the sister of teammate Trent Loiero.
“Of course I approve,” Loiero said.
“He is a good fella and a good lad. I think morals and values align. That is probably why he is the captain of the club – he is a good lad.
“No complaints mate.”
There aren’t many where Grant is concerned.
“Apart from his on-field stuff, he is just one of the best blokes,” Johns said.
“You see how much the team respects him. The thing I like about Harry, the best thing, is when we got signed there the first year we lived together in a time when you were 18, you’re probably enjoying yourself too much.
“Harry of the young guys was actually the one who pulled us up if we were doing the wrong thing. If we wanted to go for a beer when we weren’t allowed to because it was a short turnaround.
“Harry was the one who always drove the standards in the young crew. He is a born leader. He was born to be the captain of this club and all the boys have so much respect for him.”
The Storm have been captained by some champions over the years. Glenn Lazarus led the club to their first premiership in 1999. Cameron Smith then assumed the mantle and led the club to three titles.
Grant now has the chance to join them.
“I think every year you play, no matter what level you’re at, you want to win a competition,” Grant said.
“You want to be there on grand final day. They’re not easy to get to, so it’s come this time, but there’s still a fair bit of work to do.”
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