I wouldn't mind doing a deep dive on Melbourne at some point because I read into what they were doing when Brisbane signed Seibold. I was looking for Seibs to make similar moves...and he basically did the complete opposite.
It is becoming more and more apparent that Bellamy has a deep understanding of how to win a football game.... like the fundamental principles required to win a football game and understanding of the nuances and tactics that can be coached into a team to incorporate them into their play.
He introduced wrestling, because he realised that winning the play the ball was the key... due to the flow on effect of creating momentum. The grapple, etc. is a blight on the early forms of wrestling, but the fundamental principle of getting a player onto their back is the real goal of wrestling and has basically become a must have in modern league. To me, prior to wrestling games were a little more frantic and attacking plays were very much off the cuff... everything looked unstructured.
Ultimately Bellamy probably built on what Ricky Stuart had created through his Roosters back in the early 2000's. I think he basically built his game off the back of a fast moving defensive line (attack through defence) and might've introduced the dummy half running game from outside backs that we all know of today (i.e. your wingers have to take 20 hit ups and make 150m a game).
The broncos kind of pioneered it with Wendall and Lote making meters to give the forwards a break, but I believe it may have been the roosters that perfected it... although it may have been a storm innovation back in the early Bellamy days?? I don't think it was though, because I recall it being a staple of early 2000's NSW origin teams.
Nowadays Bellamy has absolutely perfected a game plan that dominates rugby league... slow down play without the ball and speed it up with the ball.
I'm almost certain that he has created the prime objective that his forwards must always be working towards finding their front and gaining a quick ptb, because he has realised that in modern league you only really score off quick ptb's when the defence can't regroup. It's at the point where 120kg Nelson Asofa-Solomona will happily run between two defenders and dive at the ground, because he is well aware that with his size he can create a lightning play the ball for the rest of his team to play off the back of... and that is probably what Bellamy does best, he teaches his players the absolute fundamentals on aspects of the game that will get them wins.
Players from the storm system are just smarter. They understand what they're meant to be doing and because everyone has that understanding they play as a full frontal assault in attack and defence. I was watching storm's game against tigers and it's actually quite amazing when you watch a ptb and the whole attacking line is moving forward at the same time... like literally the whole team (blind side and open side) moving forward in unison and at the same speed. Everything is fast and coordinated/structured, and because they are all moving forward, the defence has to appreciate that anyone may get the ball. At all times anyone in the storm system must be ready to receive the ball; however I believe a fundamental component of their system is to not give the ball to someone in a worse position.
In the first game this year the storm absolutely blitzed the rabbits in the first half, but fell in a heap in the second. I think I commented that the storm are playing so fast that they can't actually sustain it over 80 mins... that the game had become too fast for the storm's system and Bellamy may have to slow them down. Instead the storm have just become fitter and adapted to a new break neck speed.
I thought for sure that when Harry came back from injury that he'd be starting and playing 80; however Bellamy has realised that it's almost a must that he has to have two hookers, because neither Harry or BSmith can sustain the tempo required for a full 80mins.
I think the storm are miles ahead of the panthers at this stage, because the panthers are very reliant on Cleary's kicking game and Cleary just being able to come up with a play when needed. I think the panthers are getting there slowly and Cleary's kicking game absolutely dominates the storm's collective kicking game; however the storm's system is so far beyond what other teams are doing that they're not completely dependent on a strong kicking game to win.
Their defence is exceptional on their own line, which means they don't concede often, and even away from their own line they have a fast line speed that keeps the opposition in their own end. In attack they make so many meters through their get out sets that a long kicking game isn't the be all and end all, and because every player is working towards quick ptb's they create plenty of opportunities to score tries without relying on individual efforts (the individual efforts are actually whoever created the quick ptb to begin with). Compare that to the Panthers who can at times be reliant on Cleary kicking a long bomb from inside his own 30m to the opposition's 20m/30m line... and when they get into attacking zones it's either their left hand side or Cleary coming up with an individual effort to create something for himself or someone else in the team.
To me the next best coach in the current era is Robinson and if he had a full strength squad it would be the roosters and storm just leaving everyone else in their wake, because both those teams play at incredible speeds in attack and defence and everyone knows their role and position on the field.
I think at this point Robinson is maybe the only coach that can pull the Broncos out of their current state (only because Bellamy seems like he wants to give coaching away); however unfortunately for us the roosters are the only other team with the finances available that can bankroll whatever the coach wants, so why would Robinson ever leave them.
