Opinion Storm at the end of their run.

[Family Guy]

Come this November we should offer Grant $1M a season from 2023 (yes he's worth it and will prove it again this year) Also sign cheap the best young hooker who gets a run this year for another club and is off contract of course. They can be our hooker for 2022 then back up after that. Don't want JMK even as a back up.

I like that idea but I don't think $1M will be enough as I'm sure the new Brisbane franchise will offer him the same coin...and since he's a Queenslander I think he'll take the same money to go there, especially if they also sign Munster

I think we have missed the boat with Grant and need to move on

 

[dekepefc]

They were pretty good before bellamy.. I think they'll be fine.

 

[dogluva]

The key for them will be in lining up another quality coach. It wouldn't surprise me if they're trying to get Flanagan. The jury is out on him though. His success so far has been tainted by cap breaches and peptide use. If he goes there he'll have a decent roster, but will still be a tough task to maintain the success of the Storms great era. Not sure who else they'd chase that has a tradition of success.

The one they have may may be considered quality and brilliant but he has been the mastermind of some very questionable tactics which continue to be a blight on the game....

 

[dogluva]

Come this November we should offer Grant $1M a season from 2023 (yes he's worth it and will prove it again this year) Also sign cheap the best young hooker who gets a run this year for another club and is off contract of course. They can be our hooker for 2022 then back up after that. Don't want JMK even as a back up.

Shame that we have to wait a couple of years for the ones we have to mature because Ghantous in particular is a good one....

 

[gbrussell]

Never write the storm off no matter many have tried and ate there words as long as bellemy in charge they won’t fail 06 the storm we’re written off without Orford and found Cronk and all the pieces fell into place for the next 12-15 yrs with a side built around a core foundation of a 1-7-9 base

Logic says their run will come to an end eventually despite the fact they are a well run club who scout and plan well. Their biggest test will be when Bellamy rides off into the sunset.

Success in Rugby League is cyclical. St.George won 11 consecutive Premierships between 1956 and 66 and also won at least half the reserve grade and third grade premierships in that period. Their depth was incredible due in the main to an administration that was years ahead of their time. It took a rule change from unlimited tackles to 4 tackles to stop them. And it was US that knocked them out in the 67 Preliminary Final to end their reign. Since then 3 Premierships in 53 years.

The next coach of the Storm is under immense pressure so I suspect he will be quite experienced and not someone who steps up from being an assistant.

 

[KambahOne]

The systems Bellamy has put in place are proven to work and no coach in their right mind would change that, so expect them to continue to take a place in the top 8 for a long time.

 

[TwinTurbo]

The systems Bellamy has put in place are proven to work and no coach in their right mind would change that, so expect them to continue to take a place in the top 8 for a long time.

I don't see anyone else on the coach radar who has the same credentials as Bellamy, the players buy into what he says because of that, because of who he is. When he isn't barking the instructions they will move to training and playing the way new coach wants from them. If the new coach wants different assistant coaches, he will get them. If he wants new physios he will get them, etc etc. He doesn't have much choice because he knows that they will always be comparing him to Bellamy. "Oh, but we don't do it that way" wears pretty thin, pretty quick. Keeping in mind that their CEO, Dave Donaghy, left at the end of last season after 10 years there. That's a lot "culture" walking out the door this year and last year.

Go Dogs

 

[Radio Raheem]

As influential as they have been, Melbourne are a well run club even without the influence of Bellamy and Smith. The Bellamy coaching tree also constantly produces quality assistant coaches who get jobs as head coaches so I'm sure Melbourne will promote from within and try and keep as much continuity as possible.

With their spine and the youngsters they have coming through across all positions, I still think they're a consistent finals team once Bellamy leaves. That's not taking anything away from Bellamy as a coach. He's a phenomenal club coach. It's more a testament to the foundations he layed and the culture he built.

 

[KambahOne]

I don't see anyone else on the coach radar who has the same credentials as Bellamy, the players buy into what he says because of that, because of who he is. When he isn't barking the instructions they will move to training and playing the way new coach wants from them. If the new coach wants different assistant coaches, he will get them. If he wants new physios he will get them, etc etc. He doesn't have much choice because he knows that they will always be comparing him to Bellamy. "Oh, but we don't do it that way" wears pretty thin, pretty quick. Keeping in mind that their CEO, Dave Donaghy, left at the end of last season after 10 years there. That's a lot "culture" walking out the door this year and last year.

Go Dogs

Valid points, but any new coach worth their salt won't want to make too many changes too quickly or compromise the standards that the club has set in place else you end up with Broncos circa 2020.

 

[Baby Blues]

The biggest threat the Melbourne’s continues success isn’t the exit of Bellamy but an expansion side based in QLD. The added competition for the best young talent could be disastrous for them

 

[TwinTurbo]

Valid points, but any new coach worth their salt won't want to make too many changes too quickly or compromise the standards that the club has set in place else you end up with Broncos circa 2020.

Good point, the Broncos were dumb enough to do it, what's to say Melbourne won't do the same?

Go Dogs

 

[KambahOne]

Good point, the Broncos were dumb enough to do it, what's to say Melbourne won't do the same?

Go Dogs

Nothing, Melbourne could very well make the same mistakes. But given their status as the best run club in the league I think they'll err on the side of caution.

 

[2144superman]

Munster,
Hughes
Papenhauzen
Grant

Great spine if not the best in the league and then you still have Bromwich bros and Nelson - Asofa and Finnucane.

they are still set for the next 5 years.

 

[Rockdog]

Nothing, Melbourne could very well make the same mistakes. But given their status as the best run club in the league I think they'll err on the side of caution.

It’s always been the Bellamy Smith show at the heart of that club. That’s nearly over.

 

[KambahOne]

It’s always been the Bellamy Smith show at the heart of that club. That’s nearly over.

Maybe, time will tell.

 

[FaceBreaker]

1.Pap
6.Munster
7.Hughes
9.Grant

Even without Bellamy & Smith Who wouldn’t wanna play with that spine?

Easily the best spine in the comp.

 

[Wahesh]

Who will coach next year?
Hughes has huge offers.
Munster already toughted as next qld inclusion captain.
Addo Carr with us next year.
What you think now.

WTF does inclusion captain mean??

 

[Alan79]

People expected Manly to continue to go well after Hasler left. It took two years for the team to begin a huge slide. Part of it was roster issues and salary cap, part of it was coaching, part of it might have been the board issues. But a very strong team sank back to a middle of the pack team in a few years. Ten years ago you could never really assume that the Manly wouldn't be a force in the finals.

As a Bulldogs fan that was gifted with a dominant team to support from an early age. I know that there is no guarantee that golden eras last forever. I was born at the end of 1979 and pretty much took for granted that we were one of the best teams in the comp until the salary cap punishment saw our team start to fall apart. One poor choice of CEO (Greenburg) and a board that didn't seem to argue the point was enough to undermine the basis of our strength for years when Greenburg decided that we were paying too much to develop juniors. We very quickly lost some of the best talent scouts who popped up elsewhere and began making the juniors of other clubs a force and great source of talented depth. That lack of quality juniors fairly quickly changed the way we had to recruit and eventually led to our recent issues where we were overpaying a number of players and having to go cheap on too many other positions to be a force. Ten years ago you couldn't assume that the Bulldogs wouldn't be a force in the finals.

I think Melbourne still have the foundations of a good team in place for the next couple of seasons at least. But a lot can change in a relatively short time frame in League. A few key players leaving might really mess with things. A coach that doesn't click with the players might change the attitude of the roster and as Baby blues has mentioned, the addition of an extra Queensland team might really create a drain on some of their good juniors and ability to recruit quality kids from the Queensland development pool. So going off the two paragraphs above, I'd say that there is every possibility that Melbourne can go backwards in a big way in a reasonably short time.

 

[bradtalo]

People expected Manly to continue to go well after Hasler left. It took two years for the team to begin a huge slide. Part of it was roster issues and salary cap, part of it was coaching, part of it might have been the board issues. But a very strong team sank back to a middle of the pack team in a few years. Ten years ago you could never really assume that the Manly wouldn't be a force in the finals.

As a Bulldogs fan that was gifted with a dominant team to support from an early age. I know that there is no guarantee that golden eras last forever. I was born at the end of 1979 and pretty much took for granted that we were one of the best teams in the comp until the salary cap punishment saw our team start to fall apart. One poor choice of CEO (Greenburg) and a board that didn't seem to argue the point was enough to undermine the basis of our strength for years when Greenburg decided that we were paying too much to develop juniors. We very quickly lost some of the best talent scouts who popped up elsewhere and began making the juniors of other clubs a force and great source of talented depth. That lack of quality juniors fairly quickly changed the way we had to recruit and eventually led to our recent issues where we were overpaying a number of players and having to go cheap on too many other positions to be a force. Ten years ago you couldn't assume that the Bulldogs wouldn't be a force in the finals.

I think Melbourne still have the foundations of a good team in place for the next couple of seasons at least. But a lot can change in a relatively short time frame in League. A few key players leaving might really mess with things. A coach that doesn't click with the players might change the attitude of the roster and as Baby blues has mentioned, the addition of an extra Queensland team might really create a drain on some of their good juniors and ability to recruit quality kids from the Queensland development pool. So going off the two paragraphs above, I'd say that there is every possibility that Melbourne can go backwards in a big way in a reasonably short time.

Hughes will go the the Warriors and Grant and Munster to the new Brisbane venture. Storm won't be able to compete with a new club looking to sign a couple of Qld star players to attract crowds from day 1. Without those 3 they'll be bought back to the pack.

 

[Rockdog]

It’s also possible that players may follow Bellamy or Smith to other clubs that they are involved in coaching. Bellamy coaching director and I’m sure Smith will end up coaching if not assistant coaching some where.