Craig Bellamy bristles as Eels give undermanned Storm the slip
The Eels secured a 14-0 shutout of Melbourne that kept alive their hopes of a minor premiership but they were hardly convincing.
It said much about Parramatta’s win at Bankwest Stadium on Thursday night that one of the loudest cheers was reserved for Craig Bellamy as the big screen flashed to the coaches box to capture the Melbourne mentor venting at another decision that went against his side.
The Eels secured a 14-0 victory that kept alive their hopes of a minor premiership but they were hardly convincing. There wasn’t a whole lot for the faithful to celebrate. They won, but it was a hollow victory of sorts.
Remember, this Storm side was stripped of nearly $4 million worth of talent through injury and suspension. They were short on troops and on luck. They were battered in the penalty count — it was 8-1 against the Storm — but grimly remained in the contest for 80 minutes despite some high-profile absentees.
Already decimated, they finished the game with two players on report — Cooper Johns and Albert Vete — and another likely to come under scrutiny from the match review committee after Nelson Asofa-Solomona hit Marata Niukore with his shoulder.
Hooker Brandon Smith also made his way off the field in the final minutes with a suspected broken jaw after being on the receiving end of a tackle from Niukore.
The Storm will get Cameron Smith and Cameron Munster back next week and how they need them as they digest the fallout from a loss that left coach Bellamy seething as Melbourne was kept scoreless for only the fifth time in their history.
Asked about his players being placed on report, Bellamy said: “I don’t think anyone goes out there to consciously do a crusher tackle an opposition.
“There was one on one of our blokes that didn’t get pulled up. Our bloke got up and played the ball.”
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur had earlier bristled when asked about players lying down to milk penalties. Told of Arthur’s comments, Bellamy said: “I think I disagree with Brad on that.”
It wasn’t the only issue Bellamy found fault with, given Asofa-Solomona was sin-binned and Niukore was given a pass for his tackle on Smith.
“Inconsistency is what I could call that,” Bellamy said.
“Our boys tried really hard. I couldn’t ask for any more effort from them.”
It’s hard to believe Arthur would have been happy with his side’s performance
They purred early but have sputtered of late. Luckily for them, they have points in the bank and Maika Sivo on the end of their backline — he scored his 22nd try in 20 games at Bankwest Stadium.
“It’s good for him,” Arthur said.
“He likes playing here. We need him to score tries.”
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