Doubts remain but Bellamy holds key to his NSW future
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday July 16, 2009
BLUES coach Craig Bellamy has suggested both Phil Gould and Wayne Bennett are better qualified to lead NSW next year, even after a face-saving win and captain Kurt Gidley's pleas for the Melbourne mentor to continue.Gidley said he "loved" Bellamy as a coach and urged him to apply again, despite a second-straight series defeat under him.But Bellamy left significant doubts over whether he would do so, refusing to guarantee he would take on the job next year while at the same time saying Gould and Bennett, both touted as replacements after the game-two defeat, were more tuned into Origin than he was."This team would probably benefit from having a guy that knows Origin better than me, guys like Phil Gould and Wayne Bennett," Bellamy said. "They know Origin as coaches better than anyone else. I don't know if they'd be willing to take the job on ... but if those guys made themselves available, I think that would be a real good step for NSW."It's something for me to think about but it's also something for NSW to think about."Last night's win saved Bellamy from having the worst Origin coaching record in history he now has a record of two wins and four losses, but also the knowledge that no coach has ever backed up after consecutive series losses."It's really nice to win but there's still a bit of an empty feeling about what happened in the first two games," he said. "I don't think [last night] will make a whole heap of difference to the decision I make. I just need a bit of time to have a think about things. But at the same time, everyone's asking me about what I'm going to do I've lost two series as a coach. NSW mightn't want me there."It appears, though, that they do. The NSWRL, who will conduct an inquiry into the Blues' fourth-straight series loss, will only make a decision after Bellamy decides whether to continue. "My view is he's done a great job, regardless of the result," NSWRL general manager Geoff Carr said. "I don't think anyone thinks otherwise but he has to be available. I think it's important he goes back to his club, gets his club commitments out of the way, and sits down and works out where he's at. But after that [last night], I would hope that he'd be encouraged [by Melbourne] to keep going."And he received heartfelt support from Gidley, who said: "There wouldn't be a better man for the job ... I'd love to see him there. I love him as a coach."Bellamy responded to that: "Kurt told me that before in a private moment. It is nice to have the support of the players. But I've got to do what I think is right for myself and NSW, and the NSWRL have got to do what's right for them."It's been a tough series for us, but we fought back well, and showed that these guys are an Origin team, and hopefully we can go further with this team and they can be a very competitive NSW team in the future."When it was put to him that he had said "we can go further", Bellamy quickly clarified: "Hopefully they can go further."
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
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