I rest my case Bellamy stands by make-or-break tactic
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday August 8, 2009
MELBOURNE coach Craig Bellamy, happy to escape with a win last night against the North Queensland Cowboys, said his tactic of resting players in the lead-up to the finals series would continue.Bellamy rested dynamic fullback Billy Slater for a week, enabling him to miss training and other commitments to refresh himself after the intensity of the State of Origin series.And Slater, who came to life in the second half last night, said the rest was much needed.He went to Port Macquarie and spent most of his days surfing, although Bellamy quipped he didn't really want to know what he got up to as long as it wasn't horse-riding - a pursuit that cost former Storm star Robbie Kearns a couple of weeks after he fell off his horse during a NSW Origin bonding session years ago."It was a mental break," said Slater, who noted that representative players also had a shortened off-season because of the World Cup commitments.But Bellamy knows that resting players he has promised Cameron Smith a week off in a fortnight was a tactic that had to be managed constantly, especially this year, as the team does not have the luxury of being on the top of the ladder.For the past few years when the Storm have skipped away at the head of the ladder, Bellamy has adopted the same tactic giving some of his representative players a break to recover from niggling injuries and have a complete break from the rigours of club commitments."We haven't got enough points to put the cue in the rack the more we win, the better we have a shot at the end of the year," Bellamy said.But Bellamy was impressed with Slater's contribution not a triple try-scoring spree, but rather setting up and creating opportunities for his wingers.And he stressed how teammate Dallas Johnson was "steaming up" in the dressing room "because he didn't get enough ball".Johnson, Slater and Bellamy all started their careers at the Storm six years ago and the 150-game milestone last night for Slater and Johnson wasn't lost on the coach."We were rookies together here ... it has been an adventure for these guys, it has been an adventure for me," Bellamy said. "I would like to think we battle along there together."It is a big buzz for me. They are like sons to me, we have grown up together, our footy life together."
Β© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
