Melbourne Storm chair Matt Tripp pokes fun at Broncos over Craig Bellamy
Melbourne chair Matt Tripp has questioned why Craig Bellamy would consider joining the Brisbane Broncos with the club in its current state.
Melbourne chairman Matt Tripp has taken a backhanded swipe at Brisbane amid talk the Broncos could make a play for Craig Bellamy, questioning why anyone would want to join the club in its current state.
Bellamy has another year remaining on his deal with the Storm and Tripp has made no secret of his desire to see the Melbourne coach extend is stay beyond that.
At the same time, Brisbane is in the market for a new coach and chairman Karl Morris says the club will be looking for the best it can possibly find.
They don’t come any better than Bellamy.
“If they want to make a play for him that is their prerogative,” Tripp said.
“As far as I am concerned he is contracted to the Storm for another year and as far as I know, he is happy at the Storm.
“The question is who in their right mind would want to go to the Broncos with the state they are in at the moment.
“They are doing what they should be doing and going after the best coach in the game — if that is what they are doing. I don’t expect to lose him.
“They can do their best but as far as I am concerned there is no monetary amount that would swing him away from the Melbourne Storm. They could try to buy him out of his contract but I am not interested.”
With Bellamy effectively off limits, it would seemingly clear the way for former North Queensland coach Paul Green and Broncos legend Kevin Walters to have an unfettered run at the job following the departure of Anthony Seibold.
Morris insists Brisbane is in no rush to settle the coaching situation and has identified finding someone with the nerve to handle the intense pressure that comes with being in charge of the game’s flagship club.
“They have to have the real temperament for both internal and external scrutiny and success,” Morris said.
“We’re in no rush with the process. One of the advantages of having an open position, as with the CEO role, is you are sometimes surprised by who might be interested and who you might be able to secure.
“It is the Broncos — we will be looking for the best coach we possible can.”
The Broncos have tried to lure former assistant Brisbane coach Bellamy back to the club on at least two previous occasions without success.
The club will discuss its next move at a board meeting on Monday night and the sense is that there are concerns over both Walters and Green.
Walters is yet to hold a head coach role in the NRL and his hopes may hinge on whether he provides the Broncos with some certainty over the quality of his support staff.
Green has been accused of being too intense, yet he rightly points out that that is often what is required to win a competition.
The pair would appear to be polar opposites. Their styles would also appear to compliment one another.
You could see them working in tandem, although that would require at least one taking a back seat.
Seibold became the fifth head coach to depart a club this season, further reinforcing the need for a coaches association in the eyes of Sydney Roosters mentor Trent Robinson.
Robinson believes clubs need to take more responsibility for developing coaches. “The needs of the job in the last decade have grown,” he said.
“Rather than just attack and defence, there’s a lot more scrutiny. And, as we said with the coaches’ association, there is very little education — other than playing rugby league — that goes into coaching our sport.
“So, how do we develop that? As I said, the clubs need to take responsibility. They don’t know how to develop coaches, for the most part. All they do is hire a coach and if they don’t do well, they get rid of them quite quickly.
“The development of coaches within the club needs to improve. I think the responsibility needs to lie not just with the coach but the people who select the coach and put them into a position.
“That’s not the priority at the moment. The clubs need to take responsibility for that.”
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