Why Bellamy has overtaken Bennett in the coaching pantheon

Where does Craig Bellamy sit on the list of modern-day coaches? I’ve been pondering this question a bit lately. I reckon this will be his last year coaching in the NRL and we will start examining his legacy.

I can’t go back to Jack Gibson because I was a little too young to remember his sides at their absolute best, but if you were to look from the mid-1980s onwards, Bellamy has to be right up there.

In fact, I’ve got him second only to Warren Ryan. He’s gone past the likes of Wayne Bennett and Tim Sheens in my mind.

Last week was just another demonstration of his genius. To win 22 straight round one matches is an extraordinary achievement.

It just goes to show the work ethic he instils in his team, the way he prepares them over summer. There’s just no rust whatsoever. The way they defended against the Panthers was a testament to his coaching methods.

A sign of a great coach is when they have to change the game to keep up with them. While it’s not something I’ve been a massive fan of, the way he really honed in on the ruck and controlled the game through that lever has dictated a lot of how we see the game today. He outsmarted the rules.

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy.Credit: Getty

Bellamy’s ability to get fringe players, in particular fringe forwards, and turn them into consistent first-graders is unmatched. He’s had troubled souls down there, and always seem to keep them in check.

It would not surprise me one bit to see the Storm farewell the great coach with a premiership.

Fogarty shines for underrated Raiders

I remember Peter Sterling telling the story one day of the great Jack Gibson advising him before a match at the SCG to “kick to the seagulls”.

Sterlo was bemused at the time, but once he went out on the hallowed turf suddenly realised what Jack was talking about. The seagulls are always in space with few people around them.

Jamal Fogarty’s control with the boot last week was reminiscent of the former Raider now holding the clipboard.Credit: Getty

What we saw last week with Raiders halfback Jamal Fogarty was a carbon copy of his coach, Ricky Stuart, in the early 1990s.

Ricky could control a game with his boot. If his team was at the end of a bad set, he would rescue it with a great kick. Conversely, Warren Ryan used to tell me you could destroy a good set with a bad kick.

I thought Canberra would really struggle this year without Jack Wighton, but already I’m reassessing on the back of Fogarty’s effort in round one against the Knights. He put in a nine-out-of-10 display and behind a really strong forward pack, he can shine this year.

Coupled with their outside backs, they’re always going to compete well and get over the advantage line.

They’re going to be a hard team to beat this year.

The one match I’m most looking forward to this weekend is when the Sea Eagles host the Roosters at Brookvale on Sunday. I’m sensing an absolute classic.

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