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There is no doubt that Craig Bellamy will one day enter the NRL’s Hall of Fame for his coaching exploits.
Bellamy is a genius. Time and again his side is written off and they keep coming back for more.
He turns also-rans playing in reserve grade or battling at the bottom of the table into bona-fide first-graders.
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Nicho Hynes, Ryan Papenhuyzen, Justin Olam, Brandon Smith, the current Storm roster has ‘Bellyache’ refinement all over it.
When Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater left they had a wobble, which by Storm standards isn’t that much, failing to win the grand final in two years before reclaiming their crown in last year’s win over Penrith.
This season they lost the last of the ‘Big Three’ with Cameron Smith retiring.
After a sluggish start they gathered paced, looking unstoppable and averaging close to 40 points a game as they equalled the 19-game winning streak set by Easts back in 1975.
The Panthers exacted revenge on Saturday, and this was the first time you thought all year that they had missed Smith’s presence.
When Brandon Smith went off with a HIA 15 minutes into Sunday’s clash, the Storm lost their direction. Cameron Munster fell apart, Jahrome Hughes tried his damnedest but Harry Grant looked short of ideas.
“It’s hard to take because that was one of our poorest performances of the year,” Bellamy said. “We got what we deserved.”
Bellamy has failed to finish inside the top four just once since the Storm’s annus horribilis in 2010 after the salary cap scandal.
He has claimed five minor premierships, three premierships, got to a grand final two more times and lifted the World Club Challenge twice.
But for all his efforts and brilliance, the Storm coach has yet to win a premiership back to back. It seems a moot point, but for someone like Bellamy it will sting.
“That loss pulled on his heartstrings because of those guys leaving and the success of what those guys did through the middle of the season,” Cronk said.
“Plus throw in the chance of going back to back.
“There’s a lot of things if they had have been able to tie a nice bow around 2021 with a victory in a grand final would’ve solidified what they’ve done in being away from home for a long time and those boys leaving.
“That one would’ve been a real dagger to the heart.
“Particularly given what they’ve done all year, their biggest lost was on arguably the day they needed it most.”
Read on for all the big talking points from the preliminary finals!
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REYNOLDS’ FITNESS THE HEADLINE DISTRACTION
Despite Wayne Bennett’s assurances that Souths skipper Adam Reynolds would be good to play with a nine-day turnaround, the build-up to the grand final is sure to be dominated by concerns over the departing skipper’s fitness.
Reynolds will play his last game for the Rabbitohs this weekend when Souths take on the Penrith Panthers.
There’s also Benji Marshall’s probable last game at NRL level and Bennett’s last in charge of the Bunnies which are sure to occupy the column inches.
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The Bunnies kept the captain’s groin problem quiet all week, with suspicions only raised when Cody Walker took on the kicking duties in the early stages of the win over Manly.
Blake Taaffe was handed the tee as Reynolds took a back seat before warming to the occasion.
The last time there were question marks over a No. 7 heading into a grand final, the man involved actually wore No. 23.
His name was Cooper Cronk, and the halfback who guided the Roosters to a premiership in 2018 says it’s up to Reynolds how big an issue they let the story become.
“It was very obvious at the start of the game,” Cronk said of Reynolds’ injury.
“Depending on the tearing and the severity of them he will be fine for the grand final.
“He won’t be fully fit, when you start kicking it’s the hardest part. He may have to kick and goalkick next week, he is that important because grand finals come down to moments. A little bit of ice and rest and he will be fine.
“But (the distraction of) carrying an injury depends on how much you want to dive into it.
“If you want to buy into the atmosphere and the hoo-ha around it, then it can be grinding and emotional. But if you don’t, remove yourself completely then it’s simple: it’s about you and the injury.
“If you get caught up in that emotion then come gameday you might be drained. He warmed up and kicked towards the back end of the game.
“If he hadn’t kicked the ball it would be doubtful, he got through 20 minutes he started to take over. That tells me he will be fine, but in early kicks you would be worried of making it worse.”
PINK WALL SHUT DOWN STORM
In the build-up to the their game with the Storm, Panthers great Greg Alexander declared this was the club’s biggest match in its history after all four of the Mountain Men’s grand finals.
Ivan Cleary had been dragged into a media spat with Wayne Bennett and before kick-off Moses Leota was ruled out, joining Mitch Kenny on the sidelines.
Nathan Cleary, Brian To’o and Viliame Kikau had injury clouds hovering over them, and Penrith’s form had been scratchy all finals series.
All but one of their tries in September – barring To’o’s winner on Saturday – had come off kicks. It didn’t bode well for a side that had averaged close to 30 points per game across 2021.
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But the Panthers wouldn’t care one bit, given how resiliently they defended.
The became the first side to hold the Storm to single figures for the in close to 18 months as they condemned Melbourne to becoming the just the second team since 2016 to lose after a week off.
Kurt Capewell made 49 tackles, Api Koroisau clocked 42 while Scott Sorensen’s run to prevent a Storm break was one of a number of significant turning points in the game.
Even if their attacking radar has been off, there’s every chance the Panthers will be able to grind their way to victory against Souths.
“I was so impressed with Penrith given they had lost their way the last month. It’s easier said than done just to turn up in a prelim and turn it on,” said Braith Anasta.
“The energy was high and it was intense. They fought to the death and I don’t think I’ve seen a better defensive scramble all year.
“That showed their attitude. I wasn’t confident in them because of their attack, but at the end of the day defence wins premierships.
“If they can defend their line like that again it puts them in a position to play next week and win a grand final.”
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UNWANTED MANLY TAG WON’T LAST
The fact Manly even got to the last four was remarkable.
With four losses to start the season, Tom Trbojevic injury, Daly Cherry-Evans accused of not playing like a marquee player and Des Hasler was facing the sack, all was not well for the Sea Eagles.
Pundits were saying they needed to rip up their roster.
But slowly, they turned the corner with a gritty win over the Warriors before Trbojevic returned to give them a consistent lift and drive them up the ladder.
Jason Saab started to look like a first-grader after being manhandled in his early exposure to NRL level, Taniela Paseka and Sean Keppie upped the ante, Haumole Olakau’atu and Josh Schuster established themselves as walk-up starters on the edges.
“It’s been a great development platform, that’s for sure, and we’ll harness that going forward,” Hasler said after Friday’s loss.
Trbojevic enjoyed an out-of-this-world season which drew comparisons with Jarryd Hayne’s form of 2009 and Ben Barba’s exploits in 2012.
There were those who described the Sea Eagles as a “one-man team” and “flat-track bullies”.
They struggled to come up with a point of difference when Trbojevic was nullified by the likes of Melbourne, Penrith and Souths this season, but with the likes of Saab, Olakau’atu and Schuster growing, Hasler’s men should have more than enough about them to come up with a plan B.
“That’s where Des needs to get this team to the next level,” Cooper Cronk said.
“To win a comp you have to find a way to win with less football. You just have to. That’s the key for Des.
“He needs to get more resilience in his younger players. He also needs to come up with a way to get possession at 50-50 or less and still find a way to score points because you can see what Tom can do with less possession.
“You just need that mentality to be able to grind out those games.”
COOK THE KEY FOR RABBITOHS TO WIN GRAND FINAL
Damien Cook has been accused of going missing in big games but he answered his critics with a starring display in the his side’s 36-16 win over the Sea Eagles in the preliminary final.
Cook finished with 78 run metres from seven runs, two tackle busts, a try assist and 33 tackles without a miss in a complete performance.
The hooker has struggled to impose himself in all three of Souths’ back-to-back preliminary finals defeat and was famously run over by Josh Papalii in 2019’s edition.
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Last year against the Panthers he had just one run and for Souths to stand a chance of sending Bennett, Reynolds and Marshall out as winners, Cook has to back up from Friday’s win over the Sea Eagles.
“I feel like Damien has got to run the footy,” Michael Ennis said.
“A lot of his creativity comes off the back of his running game.
“When you have got someone as instinctive as Cody Walker outside who pushes into space. You have the fast play-the-balls from Tom Burgess and Cameron Murray.
“He has got to get out and threaten. I think back to the loss to Penrith late in the regular season and albeit they got beat but that was Cook’s dress rehearsal for big games in the sense that he ran the footy in the opening 20 minutes of the game and he was the best player on the field as South Sydney led 12-0.
“In the second half he didn’t run the footy at all and they fell away and got beaten by Penrith.”
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PANTHERS DILEMMA ON YOUNG 108KG MACHINE
Spencer Leniu has only played two games in the past seven weeks but the young front rower could have a crucial role in next week’s grand final.
Leniu was a late addition on the bench after Moses Leota was ruled out but with Tevita Pangai Junior in doubt with an injury of his own, the 21-year-old could yet keep his spot.
Pangai Junior’s aggression and leg drive through the middle has proven crucial in helping the Panthers stand up to opposition forward packs.
In Penrith’s preliminary final meeting with South Sydney though, Pangai Junior played a limited role with just 43 metres.
The Panthers pack was dominated on that night, with Leniu himself managing 44 metres off the bench.
He did that in 11 minutes though and did not play any longer against Melbourne on Sunday.
His impact though was undeniable, with Leniu busting three tackles and proving a handful for the Melbourne defence.
A report last week claimed Leniu may be on the way out of Penrith and there have been concerns over his fitness, leading to limited minutes.
So much has been made about Penrith’s gruelling road to the grand final and what it would have taken out of its forwards.
Leniu though is fresh, so it is only more important that he is injected at the right moment to provide maximum impact and potential flip the decider on its head.
MANLY’S OFF-SEASON CALL ON SCHUSTER
So much of the Sea Eagles’ success next season will hinge on how they win without relying on Tom Trbojevic.
In promising second rower Josh Schuster, Manly may have its answer but there is one problem.
At this point, Schuster’s best position in the team remains unclear.
This season was a learning experience for Manly’s young core and nothing is more true for Schuster.
The 22-year-old has the ball-playing skills and finesse to make a permanent switch to five-eighth, finishing 2021 with nine try assists and 12 linebreak assists.
He has also proven a challenge when carting the ball up, recording 60 tackle busts this season.
Fitness remains a concern for the 22-year-old, who failed to top 50 running metres in his last five games to end the year.
Any chance of Schuster moving to five-eighth though would require him to only further improve his fitness and shed a few kilograms over the off-season.
The Gold Coast have had a similar issue with David Fifita, who has been criticised at times for waiting for the ball to come to him instead of looking for work himself.
Schuster’s no-look passes may make the highlight reels but he also needs to embrace the other side of the role, doing the hard yards that are just as important but aren’t always noticed.
It is just his first full season in the NRL though so patience is needed.
The off-season will provide the Sea Eagles with the perfect chance to experiment and work out what his best position is.
A move to the centres has also been floated as another option, with Penrith five-eighth Matt Burton thriving in that role this year.
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