Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy slams NRL draw

[Kaz]

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says his premiership side has been “shafted” by the 2013 draw.

Bellamy launched a scathing attack on league administrators today declaring his team’s fixture for next season showed no common sense or care for player welfare.

He pointed specifically to the five-day turnaround between rounds two and three when the Storm will have to travel from the heat and humidity in Townsville back to Melbourne for a grand final re-match with the Bulldogs.

“I can’t believe in round two we are playing the Cowboys (in Townsville) then five days later we are playing the Bulldogs on a Thursday night,” Bellamy said today.

“The NRL talked to doctors about (banning) the shoulder charge but has anyone talked to them about dehydration.


http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...y-slams-nrl-draw/story-e6frep5x-1226524400901

Bellamy mustn't have heard of bottled water etc.

 

[Big Pete]

He's got a point.

The amount of travel alone would probably cancel a good days worth of preparation and his boys will struggle to back up in a highly anticipated match.

There isn't a lot the ARLC can do about it though.

 

[pennywisealfie]

He should bend over for the NRL for letting him still be allowed to coach.

 

[Kaz]

“It takes us a full day to get to the Cowboys and it’s basically still summer time

The Storm must glue feathers on themselves & fly there themselves.

Bellamy should be grateful he still has a team after all the rorting they did.

 

[Nashy]

I agree with him 100%. More care needs to be taken for turn around times. They seem to have looked after the Warriors in this regard.

People forget that there is a lot of pissing around for group bookings at airports.

 

[Kaz]

The draw always favours the teams lower on the ladder from the previous year.

 

[Big Pete]

That doesn't excuse the NRL for making this gaffe.

Cowboys complained about how much travel they had to do, surely the ARLC would have been more mindful of away sides too.

 

[Kimlo]

This is good. Anyone that annoys Bellamy is in my good books.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Awww 5 days backup I really feel sorry for the Melbourne Storm players, they have it much easier then the 4 games in a ten day period Langer and other tests players had in 1992 at one stage LOL. Draws in NSWRL, ARL, Superleague and the NRL have always hurt sides at one point or another, this is no different, I wish it wouldn't but I doubt it will ever be resolved.

 

[GCBRONCO]

Oh and if Bellamy is so concerned about his players dehydration I got a suggestion, why doesn't he just give them those beer hats and fill them with water, problem solved :P

 

[Kaz]

That doesn't excuse the NRL for making this gaffe.

Cowboys complained about how much travel they had to do, surely the ARLC would have been more mindful of away sides too.

Oh the poor dears. They are professional athletes.

Next they b!tch when a game goes into extra time.

 

[Kaz]

Oh and if Bellamy is so concerned about his players dehydration I got a suggestion, why doesn't he just give them those beer hats and fill them with water, problem solved :P

This hat is only to be used in severe emergencies.

 

[Big Pete]

Oh the poor dears. They are professional athletes.

Next they b!tch when a game goes into extra time.

What do you mean by next? They already are and should because golden point is an abomination and a massive NSW overreaction.

The fact it's a professional sport is why it matters. At this level, you can't afford to lose all that preparation time, especially for what could be against the best two teams in the competition.

 

[The Brizz]

The other fact is some teams like the Broncos consistently get 7 day turnarounds week after week while others get lop sided 5 or 8 days. I can see exactly why people get pissed at what they see as preferential treatment to the Broncos even if we ourselves don't want all the Friday games.

 

[fredie]

Tigers play 4 games in 17 days

 

[Mr Fourex]

That doesn't excuse the NRL for making this gaffe.

No it doesn't. If this were a more favoured team's coach complaining instead of the dastardly Melbourne Storm, RL fans would be up in arms complaining at just how inept the games administrators truly are.

Thank **** we are selling off all parts of our great game to whoever has the deepest pockets just so we can afford to pay overs for a new NRL CEO

by gum.....we certainly needed to.

 

[subsbligh]

The Storm must glue feathers on themselves & fly there themselves.

Bellamy should be grateful he still has a team after all the rorting they did.

Lol, there's always even a tenuous link to the salary cap breaches. Get over it.

You know that Brett Stewart got banned for 4 weeks, and later found not guilty, for indecent sexual conduct similar to that of the the 3 Broncos players in the nightclub incident in 2008 before THAT game against the Storm (whom so many blame on salary cap rorting by the Storm - which also seems to be the root of this grudge still held now against the Storm). I.e. all 3 should have been banned for that weekend by the NRL but didn't.

The Broncos were given an advantage (i.e. they "cheated" that week) by receiving preferrential treatment by the NRL.

 

[subsbligh]

Scheduling 26 rounds for 16 teams over 4 possible days makes it almost impossible to cater for every team's needs. It sounds as if the NRL scheduling team accommodated other requests (I'm guessing around State of Origin scheduling).

The real issue here is the scheduling of the World Club Challenge, not the short turnaround and the flight to Townsville.