Minor premiership not the goal: Bellamy - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Minor premiership not the goal: Bellamy

By Melissa Woods 29/07/2011 05:11:28 PM Comments (0)

Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy doesn't need the 2011 minor premiership to prove a point to the NRL hierarchy which stripped their titles, because in his mind they still belong to the Storm.

The NRL high-flyers are on target to collect the 2011 minor premiership, with a trip to Parramatta on Monday night their next challenge.

Bellamy said the minor premiership wasn't a major focus, and the Storm didn't see it as a way of thumbing their noses at the NRL for stripping the club of the three they won between 2006 and '08 due to salary cap rorting.

"I've said all along, as far as the people who are here, we've felt that we've earned those," he said.

"Other people think they're not ours no more but we still imagine that they are and we think we worked really hard to earn those."

Bellamy said with six games remaining and sides like Manly desperately close, Melbourne couldn't afford to think of the big prizes just yet.

"Our mentality has always been to worry about this week and that's what we'll do."

The Storm haven't won at Parramatta since 2006, and their preparation for the game has been disrupted with a flu sweeping the team as well as Bellamy.

"A few of them have been crook and missed our sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday and there's still a couple not 100 per cent," the croaky coach said.

No-one has so far been ruled out of the game against the Eels, who are coached by former Storm assistant and New Zealand Test boss Stephen Kearney.

"Having the longer turnaround has helped us so we've still got three days to go, at this stage we expect everyone to play," Bellamy said.

The Melbourne mentor said he felt for Kearney, who has endured a run of bad luck, the Eels losing their past two games in golden point which has effectively killed their season.

"Parra have been a competitive team, they're probably not sitting where they'd like to be on the table at the moment.

"They've had some wretched luck in the last three or four weeks so they're a team that makes you earn what you get and it won't be any different on Monday night."

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