Join now and get your first month for just $1<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Storm veteran turns 32 in a few weeks and has Bellamy\u2019s blessing to finish his career wherever he wants to ensure his family is in the best position when he retires. <\/p>\n
Bellamy\u2019s future is also clouded after the Storm coach was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder earlier in the year, with the legendary boss providing an update on when he might retire. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe next year or two is when I\u2019ll be finishing up, so he\u2019ll (Munster) end up older than me if I stop counting my age,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d love to go through my entire coaching career with him ending at the same time, but he\u2019s got a decision to make.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll make the right decision for what\u2019s right for his family, and he\u2019s got the right do to that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sam Walker set for monster Roosters deal | 01:31<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Bellamy is relying on Trent Toelau and rookie Hayden Watson to pick up the slack with superstar skipper Harry Grant unavailable for the next few weeks as he deals with a hamstring injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny team losing their captain, that\u2019s a big loss,\u201d Bellamy said ahead of Friday\u2019s must-win clash with the Bulldogs. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut Harry especially is always in the middle of the play, whether it\u2019s with the ball or without the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be a loss for us, but when someone misses out, someone else gets a chance. We\u2019ll deal with that tomorrow night, and hopefully some of the young blokes can do a good job for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)<\/p>\n
STORM RECRUIT LIFTS LID ON \u2018EMOTIONAL\u2019 MOVE<\/p>\n
Storm recruit Oryn Keeley says Brisbane\u2019s coffee beans are \u201cway better\u201d than the ones down in Melbourne, but that\u2019s an easy fix for the rising star who has opened up on the emotional move south after struggling for opportunities at the Dolphins.<\/p>\n
Keeley, 23, signed with the Storm at the end of 2025 but wasn\u2019t expected to make the move until the end of the current season.<\/p>\n
But after being limited to just six appearances for the Dolphins \u2013 four of those off the bench \u2013 all parties agreed to release him early to take up an opportunity at the injury-hit Storm.<\/p>\n
That meant hopping on a plane and flying down to Melbourne with his partner and baby girl, with his partner\u2019s uncle driving down and taking Keeley\u2019s car and beloved coffee machine with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely not easy when you\u2019re 23 and our daughter was eight weeks at the time,\u201d Keeley told the NewsWire. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a dad, it wasn\u2019t easy, but having my partner trust what I needed was massive because she said that we need to be happy and I need to have a fair opportunity to play. That meant coming down here early.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were some tough conversations, but I\u2019m very grateful that the Dolphins did release me because I\u2019ve never been so happy in my life, and my family is very happy. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very tough, but these tough times that I had to go through made me a better person and have made my family stronger. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that the next challenge that comes up, we can defeat it. Whatever is thrown at us, we will deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Munster eyeing PNG move | 01:40<\/p>\n
Keeley said the Storm\u2019s support before and during the move was \u201coverwhelming\u201d, which spilt over during the jersey presentation before his club debut against the Titans earlier this month.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was emotional that a great club like this wanted to bring a kid from Gosford down and give him an opportunity to play here,\u201d he said, revealing he asked his partner to stay outside because that would have sent him over the top. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives me goosebumps thinking about playing for this club. The faith that the club put into me (is something they didn\u2019t have to do), which is why I was a bit emotional when I looked at the jersey and saw my name on it. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo have the backing of Craig (Storm coach Craig Bellamy) and the senior group to throw me in in my first week hit me in the face when I got up to speak. <\/p>\n
\u201cI always get emotional in those types of things, but that one was very emotional because it\u2019s an honour to play at this club. I was like a little kid when I got up there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doueihi’s future IS at Tiger Town! | 02:55<\/p>\n
Everyone knew that Keeley was a great get for the Storm given how well he played last year after also starring in the 2024 State Championship final with two tries.<\/p>\n
But he couldn\u2019t get a start with Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Connelly Lemuelu at the Dolphins, which fast-tracked his move to the club his brother supports.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I deserved to be playing now, but that wasn\u2019t the case,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey had lots of players there, so I thought I\u2019d make the move early so I could learn the system so I could be ready next year and be aware of what\u2019s required. It was a tough move, but it was what I needed to do for my football career and my family. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs a young kid, I think everyone can agree that you\u2019d watch Melbourne on a Friday night and you knew what you were in for. You look at the calibre of players they\u2019ve produced, and it\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those players include Ryan Hoffman, Adam Blair, Tohu Harris and Eli Katoa who have all thrived in the back row.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey put on the jersey and went to war for it,\u201d Keeley said, with the Storm hoping to turn him into another genuine superstar. <\/p>\n
\u201cI look at Eli Katoa and think what he\u2019s done for the club already, so I can\u2019t wait to go to battle with a player like him. It\u2019s such a rich history here, so it\u2019s exciting that I get to be a part of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Eli is the best back-rower in the comp in terms of everything from how he gets up for the high ball, how he runs the ball and how tough he is. He\u2019s the prototypical back-rower.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat made me excited to come here and learn off him. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou watch all of the back-rowers who have played here, and they all blossomed in the Storm system. For me to take my game to the next level, the best thing was for me to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tom Dearden considered shock Sydney move | 02:43<\/p>\n
Keeley will start again on Friday night against the Bulldogs, with Melbourne\u2019s incredible finals streak set to come to an end unless they win all of their remaining games. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s all part of the journey for Keeley, who learnt plenty about the Storm from club legends Felise Kaufusi and the Bromwich brothers during their time together at the Dolphins. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they used to talk about this club, they put them on a pedestal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to become good and become great, that\u2019s what Melbourne only accept. There\u2019s a standard, and you don\u2019t go below it. That made me excited that I could come down here and learn that and try to be like that every day. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the way they hold themselves off the field \u2013 win, lose or draw \u2013 is consistent. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey drill the same message into you all week and you\u2019re expected to go out there and know what to do because of the messages you\u2019ve received from the coaching staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Storm coach Craig Bellamy has responded to superstar playmaker Cameron Munster who said he would remain at the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-551408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/551409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=551408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=551408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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