Bellamy wants 'right note' for Smith in Suncorp showdown
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Craig Bellamy says the Storm are determined to send Cameron Smith out "on the right note" as the club legend prepares for what could be his final game at Suncorp Stadium.
The 37-year-old will lace up for his 429th NRL game in the preliminary final against the Raiders on Friday night at a venue he has owned for the best part of two decades.
Smith has done it all at Suncorp Stadium where he has celebrated World Cup and Origin series wins. The Storm have won their last 19 games in a row in Queensland, the majority of those at Suncorp.
Bellamy is still unsure when the end date on Smith's illustrious career will be, but said it would be "very fitting" for him to go out a winner at his happy hunting ground.
"That is not how you get wins unfortunately. Sometimes you deserve to go out on a winning note but it just doesn't happen like that," Bellamy said.
Match: Storm v Raiders
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Storm
2nd Position
away Team
Raiders
3rd Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
"We still honestly don't know what Cameron is doing [at the end of the season] and like I said right from the start I am not going to expect an answer from him until he is ready to give an answer, and he has not been ready.
"We would have liked to have made it more special if it is his last game [at Suncorp] but I promised I wouldn't put any heat on him.
"I pointed out to him that if he did retire or go to another club, hopefully not, that we would like to send him out on the right note."
Storm v Raiders - Preliminary final
Bellamy said Smith's approach was a sign of his humility and not making it about him.
"I said to him that we'd like to give him a decent send-off and he said, 'Why?' I said that after 400-odd games and grand finals that 'you've done a tremendous job for us'… but he is not one of those guys who wants a lot of fanfare," Bellamy said.
The Storm's hopes of victory over Canberra have received a boost with lock Dale Finucane on track to return from a calf injury after getting through the captain's run.
"He hasn't done all the work in the two sessions he has got through so we will just see how he pulls up," Bellamy said.
"If he pulls up like he did on Tuesday he will probably play.
"I obviously think he gives us a whole heap of experience. He has played Origin and in four grand finals. He is not a great talker but he is a great leader, he just goes out there and does it.
"Having said that a bit of that is blunted by him not playing for eight or nine weeks but if he pulls up OK we think it is worth that risk because we will have a player who is one of the most competitive players I have ever coached."
Then there were four …
Five-eighth Cameron Munster trained strongly in the captain's run and Bellamy said there had been "not many concerns at all" with the knee he re-injured in the 36-24 qualifying final win over the Eels.
"He mended pretty quickly. He didn't do anything [at training] last week but he was in our first session this week and has done everything the other boys have done and we expect him to line up," Bellamy said.
Prop Tui Kamikamica will not take part in the preliminary final due to an ankle injury but Bellamy said he hoped he would be in full training next week.
Bellamy ended a long pre-game press conference on the subject of Smith and how he would feel if Friday night ended their coach-player relationship.
"It has got to happen some day I suppose, although with him he seems to be able to go on forever," Bellamy chuckled.
"I'll sit back and think about it if it is the case, or next year is the case. It is probably going to be a little bit emotional I'd imagine."
