Craig Bellamy: Genius coach or exposed on the big stage?

A fair few people are going to see the title of this and immediately hit the comments.

How can anybody seriously question the coaching credentials of Craig Bellamy!?

Well, that's fair enough, on the surface anyway.

The multiple time Premiership winner is in a league of very few in the rarified air of elite coaching.

Perhaps only the likes of Wayne Bennett, Jack Gibson and Ivan Cleary keep him company.

Once again, on the surface!

A deeper dive though uncovers some worrying trends and shocking stats.

Below is the self debate - Craig Bellamy: Genius coach or exposed on the big stage?

Genius Coach

Bellamy has over 600 NRL games as coach of the Storm. He holds a win rate of almost 70 per cent.

To put that into perspective, Ricky Stuart has a career win rate of 51 per cent at club level. Craig Fitzbiggon, during a stint of just over 100 games has a win rate of 63 per cent.

Ivan Cleary, fresh off four straight premierships holds a record of 57 per cent. Even the great Wayne Bennett is hovering just under 60 per cent.

The only time the Storm didn't qualify for the finals under Bellamy was the year they were relegated to 16th due to sanctions. More on that later.

He's only missed the top four on two occasions. That's five (plus the last place finish) since 2003.

I genuinely think that Craig Bellamy is the best talent spotter in the business.

People are quick to point out the stars that have littered the Storm's ranks for many years. Bellamy found almost all of them.

The best player of my generation, Cameron Smith, never played an NRL game for another club other than Melbourne.

Neither did Billy Slater. Cooper Cronk was made a star by Bellamy before capping off a magical career at the Roosters.

Meanwhile of his current crop; Ryan Papenhuyzen was deemed not good enough by the Tigers. Dally M medalist Jahrome Hughes was a third string fullback at the Cowboys. Harry Grant is a Storm talent. So too is Cameron Munster.

I also genuine believe that Bellamy is the best dragging the absolute most out of every single player.

I often joke about Bellamy winning a title with Brian Norrie at prop. Not to be disrespectful to Norrie but he was a journeyman prior to arriving in purple.

Nick Meaney is now a star after being released by an ordinary Bulldogs team.

You just knew that Stefano Utoikamanu would return to the Origin arena the second he signed for Melbourne. Bellamy is just that good.

Bellamy has a winning percentage that is the envy of every modern day coach.

He's put together two of the best spines of all time using talent he scouted, or poached from reserve grade elsewhere.

There are simply none better!

Exposed on the big stage

It's tough to break down Craig Bellamy's accurate grand final record due to the salary gap scandal of the mid to late 2000s. Some clarity will be provided.

Bellamy currently holds a grand final record of five wins and six losses.

Officially he has won three premierships, plus the two the Storm continue to flaunt despite the obvious.

It's worth pointing out that he won two grand finals with a side that well beyond the rules of the game. How you want to judge those, I'll leave up to you.

The fact is he won them. Also factual is that is won them with a side playing outside the rules.

Strikingly he also lost two grand finals with a side that was put together through ill gotten means.

Included in those losses was the 40-0 thrashing at the hands of a Manly side forced to operate under cap restraints that the Storm were not.

Three official grand final wins is nothing to sneeze at but he's lost six. Two with an unfair advantage, and most recently two in a row.

He's also never won a premiership without Cameron Smith.

Above I mentioned that he discovered Smith, which he did. That said, the fact he hasn't been able to win a decider with Harry Grant, is quite alarming.

You can argue that Ivan Cleary has never won a premiership without his son Nathan too, but it's worth bringing up all the same.

Let's not forget the fact that Bellamy, despite being the best club coach of the modern era, couldn't get the job done in the rep arena.

Bellamy oversaw three Origin series losses for an overall record of two wins and seven defeats.

Again, without Cameron Smith. Just wanted to throw that jab in.

Current premiership winning coach Michael Maguire has an Origin series win under his belt. So too does Wayne Bennett and Ricky Stuart.

I understand that his losses came during the QLD decade of dominance but there were plenty of times during that run where NSW threw away wine-able games.

Conclusion

You have to make grand finals to lose them.

I always laugh at fans of teams sitting in 12th to 17th yelling gleefully at seeing the Bulldogs and Raiders crash out in straight sets.

They were in finals and could have won them. Losing a final, especially a grand final, is better than not being there.

Bellamy is arguably the best ever.

The Cap Scandal will sit over his shoulder.

Based purely on results though, despite his less than stellar grand final record, and deplorable Origin record, I know Storm fans wouldn't swap their man for anyone in the game.