Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy says Test halfback Cooper Cronk could set a record for the most NRL games, but suspects he won’t.

Cronk will bring up 250 NRL games against the Sydney Roosters in Sydney on Saturday night, joining teammates Billy Slater and Cameron Smith in having reached the milestone.

“It’s one hell of a record; more so with Cooper than the other two because he didn’t really have a full-time first grade career until about two or three years after Cameron and Billy started,” Bellamy said.

“He’s very durable, very resilient and I haven’t worked with a more professional player than Cooper because he just wants to be the best he can be.”

The 30-year-old made his Storm debut in 2004, coming off the bench to play five-eighth, hooker and lock.

Handed the halfback jersey following the departure of Matt Orford, Cronk worked tirelessly to become the game’s best No.7.

“When he’d rather be doing something else, that doesn’t get in the way of him preparing for the weekend,” Bellamy said.

“He just doesn’t leave any stone unturned.”

An avid reader and fan of the arts, Cronk says on his website he’s working on a number of projects outside rugby league: “I plan to give something back to the sport I love but in a way that has never been done before. A quiet legacy that no one will ever need know about, other than the people who receive it,” he writes.

Cronk’s current Storm contract ends in 2016 but Bellamy said he could play on well past then – although the lack of mental challenge may see him walk away before he beats Darren Lockyer’s 355-game all-time record.

“I’m not sure how much longer he will go on but I think the thing that will stop Cooper going on is if he gets bored and wants to go and do something else.

“The way he looks after himself he could play for a whole heap more years and could end up with the most games in the NRL.”