NRL finals 2020: Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy furious over defensive lapses
After recent lapses in defence have nearly cost the Storm, Craig Bellamy has come up with some clever new training techniques to get his team ready for their Grand Final qualifier match against either the Roosters or Raiders.
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Melbourne Storm wants to put the brakes on opposition scoring, desperate to avoid another finals shootout next week against the winner of Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders.
Fresh off the highest ever scoring NRL finals weekend — where a combined 235 points was scored across four matches — Storm has turned its attention to defensive deficiencies.
Storm has conceded 20-points or more in the past four games after doing so only three times through the first 17 rounds.
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It is said the warmer weather and harder grounds, in Queensland especially, has contributed to the fast and high-scoring matches.
Storm assistant coach Jason Ryles said an adjustment would be made.
“It was really disappointing to let that many points in for us,” Ryles said.
“It’s certainly not a trend we’d like to keep going and not a trend Craig is very happy with at the moment.
“It puts our whole group on edge, there’s an area in our game we can get better and that’s certainly limiting the opposition points and working on our defence which is a hallmark at this club.”
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Ryles on Tuesday backed Storm captain Cameron Smith to handle the pressure of carry-over points hanging over his head going into a cutthroat preliminary final.
“It’s not ideal that’s for sure,” a disappointed Ryles said.
“I’ll stay away from commenting on any of that, I’ll get myself in strife and the club in strife, but it’s not ideal.
“If it was a younger player I‘d probably be a little bit more concerned but Cameron has … got the experience and mental toughness to deal with it.
“I wouldn’t imagine he would be too worried about it going into the game but it’s certainly not ideal.”
Storm will blast loud music and crowd noise into training this week and next to replicate the game day experience.
Having played most of the season in phantom stadiums, a 25,000-strong pro-Eels crowd at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium took some getting used to in the qualifying final.
“It was pretty quiet out there and all of a sudden there was a big roar,” Ryles said.
“I’m thinking the Broncos must be playing … it probably didn’t feel like a home game as such but at the same time the boys enjoy playing there.
“It’s probably given us something to work on this week, simulate that at training and prepare for our next game.
“Getting a bit of noise in and about training and especially when we’re focusing on our attack, the players did say early on it was something they had to adjust to.
“Basically relaying calls and making sure not just one person knew what was going on but they all knew what was going on.”
Cameron Munster is almost a certainty to be right for the preliminary final after a knock to the knee, but Dale Finucane (calf) and Tui Kamikamica (ankle) both remain unlikely.
Originally published as NRL finals 2020: Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy furious over defensive lapses