Craig Bellamy admitted he is “a bit pissed off” to be missing the finals and joked he may go home and “punch the s***” out of a few teddy bears, but one debutant gave the Storm coach plenty to smile about on Friday night.
Watch every game of every round of the NRL Premiership LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
The Storm’s injury-ravaged season all but came to an end at AAMI Park with a gutsy 36-22 loss to the Bulldogs.
Melbourne can now only finish on a maximum of 30 points and would need a number of other results to go its way to still be alive in September.
But with Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes all unavailable due to injury, it seems like it will be a lost year for the Storm — much to the disappointment of Bellamy.
“A bit pissed off really but at the end of the day it is what it is,” Bellamy said of the Storm missing the finals for the first time since the salary-cap impacted 2010 season.
“I think my grandkids have got a couple of teddy bears so I might go home and punch the s*** out of them,” he then joked.
“I don’t know but at the end of the day it is what it is. We’ve sort of being rock and rolling on the edge there for probably a month. It’s going to be disappointing.”
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
Was it touched? Controversial knock-on | 00:40
While it has not been the year Bellamy expected after two-straight grand final appearances, there is still plenty to take from the emergence of some of the club’s stars of the future.
It’s young talent time at the Storm right now and it took just 80 minutes for young halfback Hayden Watson to impress Bellamy on debut.
Watson was called up to start in the crucial halfback position after Hughes was ruled out with a hamstring injury and the teenager impressed from the get-go.
Bellamy has coached some legendary halfbacks, including Hughes and Cooper Cronk, but it was the debut of Watson that stood out most for him.
“As far as a halfback goes, that was probably as good a debut I’ve seen from a halfback, especially at his age,” Bellamy said.
“He came in and did a great job for us.
“He was on the tough side there too.
“You’ve got [Viliame] Kikau there and [Stephen] Crichton and those guys out that side, but I thought he did a really good job with the ball and also without the ball as well.”
Hayden Watson in his NRL debut. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Watson was nearly flawless with ball in hand, running for 147 metres, including 47 post contact metres and four tackle breaks.
The 19-year-old’s kicking game was on point too, registering 190 metres.
But it was his bravery to throw his slight body into oncoming traffic to affect 23 tackles that drew praise.
“Young Hayden, like he’s on one of the best back rowers of the comp, Kikau, he didn’t take a backward step,” Storm captain Josh King said.
Watson emerged as a future star with a stand out performance for Queensland’s recent under-19 Origin victory over New South Wales.
Dogs down to 10 men before half time | 00:37
“He’s a talented kid without a doubt,” Bellamy said.
“For a halfback, he’s fairly quiet around the group.
“He’s not an out there kid, he sort of sticks to himself a little bit and he’s very quiet, but when it’s time to train and it’s time to knuckle down, he just zeroes in.”
Watson was so impressive on debut, Channel Nine commentator and former Storm legend Billy Slater chose him as the player to speak with from the losing side in the post-game wrap.
“It was a pretty unreal experience out there, you know playing with the boys, watching them on TV and then actually getting to be out there with them, so it was pretty cool,” Watson said.
“Heaps quicker, I was cramping at the end there, but just lucky to get through.
“I think [the key] was just backing my own game, not trying to do anything else or be someone else, just be myself and have a crack.”
Watson said it was a dream come true to represent the club in the state he was born in.
“Since I was a little kid going for the Storm, obviously being born down here in Melbourne, so it’s a dream to play here,” he said.