Craig Bellamy says Melbourne Storm braced for shift to Sydney

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy says the Storm are bracing for a shift to Sydney in early May to help facilitate the return of rugby league.

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy: ‘If we have to go to NSW for a bit, so be it.’ Picture: Getty Images

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy says the Storm are bracing for a shift to Sydney in early May to help facilitate the return of rugby league.

Their preference would be to remain in Melbourne but the Victorian government holds the Storm’s fate in its hands.

“NSW teams are going to be allowed to train as teams from that time,” Bellamy said.

“I am not quite sure that is going to be the rule in Victoria, or the way it is in Victoria.

“If not, when we’re allowed to get back together as a team, we might have to pull up stakes and go to NSW until that ban is lifted down here.

“I don’t think the (players) are going to be overly happy to do it because they are going to have to leave their families.

“There is going to be some reservations about doing it without a doubt. In the circumstances, I don’t think anyone is going to hold it against a player if they say, ‘I am not prepared to do this’.

“We get on with it and they stay with their families. The ones who are prepared to do it, off we go.

“Obviously the Queensland sides are in the same boat as well.”

That said, the Broncos released a statement via their chief executive Paul White on Friday morning saying they were confident they would be able to train at their headquarters and play out of Suncorp Stadium.

That would require a relaxation of the rules by the Queensland government, something that is unlikely to happen until after the Easter weekend.

“Being able to play at Suncorp Stadium and train at the Clive Berghofer Centre in tightly controlled and monitored conditions will ensure our players and staff have the safest possible environment to prepare and play rugby league,” White said.

“The Queensland government has been excellent in supporting our game and our club during this difficult time for the entire community, and we look forward to continuing our work with them in mapping a way forward.

“Rugby league is part of the Queensland psyche and I hope its return will give a boost to people across our community who are doing it tough.

“Player and community health remain the priority throughout all of this — that is a given — and we look forward to putting measures in place to ensure their continued safety.”

Bellamy hasn’t given up hope of being able to stay at home when the NRL mandates training can resume on May 4 — the competition is scheduled to restart on May 28.

On that front, the Storm may be reliant on the AFL. The AFL is yet to finalise its plans but there is a sense that when it does so, the Victorian government may review its restrictions on social gatherings.

“The AFL haven’t made any decisions on when they will be back,” Bellamy said.

“They are talking about being able to get back to train at some stage.

“Hopefully for us the AFL makes a decision soon on when they look like getting back and train — they are guided by the government as well.

“In NSW, the government has made exemptions for the NRL. We’re going to need the same thing to happen here.

“If we have to go to NSW for a bit, so be it. I think our sport and our leaders at the NRL have done a tremendous job all the way through this.”