Survey says: Melbourne Storm is the team we love to hate
The results of The Daily Telegraph’s annual Fan Survey are in and there’s a new team we love to hate — the Melbourne Storm. But is the Victorian powerhouse a victim of its own success?
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Manly have revelled in the hatred poured on them for decades but sorry Sea Eagles fans, there is a new team we all love to boo — the Melbourne Storm.
The Daily Telegraph’s annual NRL Fan Survey has revealed the powerhouse Victorian side is now the team fans most love to hate (25 per cent). The Sea Eagles (14.5 per cent) are second, the Sydney Roosters (14.1) third and Brisbane (11.75 per cent) fourth.
While supporters struggled to stomach the Storm, they may be a victim of their own success because almost 58 per cent of fans picked Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy as the man they would want in charge at their club.
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Melbourne claimed this year’s minor premiership after finishing six competition points ahead of their nearest rivals, defending premiers the Sydney Roosters.
But this season, like so many before it, has been filled with controversy over the wrestling tactics of Bellamy’s troops
Former Storm playmaker Brett Finch said the criticism levelled at Melbourne was “complete rubbish”.
“It’s tackling, it’s called defence, not wrestling … there are no wrestling tactics. They work harder than everyone else in the tackle,” he said.
According to Finch, an unwavering work ethic is the secret to Melbourne’s dominance.
“It starts at the top,” he said.
“They have tremendous leaders in Craig Bellamy and skipper Cameron Smith, two guys that have achieved everything. But they are the hardest workers there, so it sets a great example for everyone else at the club.
“But there’s no secret formula. They work hard every year and no matter what they have achieved the year before, they start again from scratch. They have a drive to continue to get better.”
Over the past decade, Melbourne have appeared in five grand finals and won two of them. They were stripped of the 2007 and 2009 titles for serious salary cap breaches.
Finch wasn’t surprised fans of other clubs resented the Storm and their success.
“I know if I’m a Melbourne Storm fan, which I am, I’d consider myself extremely lucky because I’ve got a team that competes for the title every year,” he said.
“They lose great players to other clubs. They lost Cooper Cronk, one of the best halfbacks, to the Roosters They lose champions through retirement like Bill Slater, but they continue to be contenders every year.”
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Bellamy (57.87 per cent) was well ahead of the Roosters’ Trent Robinson (11.22 per cent) and South Sydney’s Wayne Bennett (7.68 per cent) as the coach fans would want at their club.
“When you have the values of hand work and honesty that Craig Bellamy instils in players, it gives you a good chance to be successful,” Finch said.
“Craig was the greatest coach I’ve ever had.
“He invests in players. He makes you work hard but he cares about you as a human being. When I was down there he wanted to make sure I was happy off the field and invested in how my day-to-day life was going.
“When you have a coach who cares in that way, you don’t want to let him down on the field.”
Supporters of other sides who long for Bellamy to take control at their club might be waiting for a while.
“No, I couldn’t see him coaching anyone else, not in the near future anyway,” Finch said.
“But anything is possible in rugby league.
“For a long time, Wayne Bennett was at Brisbane and you’d think he wouldn’t end up going elsewhere.”
Originally published as Survey says: Melbourne Storm is the team we love to hate
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