While happy to have the opening State of Origin match in his adopted home town, Melbourne Storm and former NSW coach Craig Bellamy understands his successor Ricky Stuart’s anger about losing home ground advantage.
Blues officials forfeited their chance to have two games at home in Sydney this year by taking the Origin series opener to Melbourne on May 23, which Stuart slammed as “ridiculous”.
The Blues playing group is trying desperately to end Queensland’s six-year streak and now open the series in front of a predominantly pro-Maroons crowd, with many fans getting behind the Storm players in the Queensland squad.
Origin has been played six times in Melbourne, with both teams enjoying three wins apiece although Queensland have won the two games played at Etihad Stadium – the scene of this year’s match.
Bellamy was NSW coach from 2008 until 2010; failing to crack the Maroons dominance.
“We’re rapt that Origin’s here in Melbourne but we’re coming at it from a different angle than Rick,” Bellamy said on Tuesday.
“I can definitely see his angle for sure, I’ve been there.
“This year was supposed to be NSW’s turn to have two at home and that’s a huge advantage and to let one of those games go, as Rick said, it makes it a bit harder.
“If I was sitting in his seat still, I’d probably be thinking the same.”
The Storm are set to have at least three players – skipper Cameron Smith, halfback Cooper Cronk and fullback Billy Slater – in the Maroons line-up, while centre Dane Nielsen also got a call-up last year and will be in line again for a wing spot.
Bellamy said the Melbourne crowd were loyal to those players, whoever they played for.
“I think there’s more rugby league fans in Melbourne who are Queensland supporters because over the years and still, a lot of our players have played for Queensland and not NSW.
“You’ve got the three there now and over the years we’ve had Dallas (Johnson) and GI (Greg Inglis).
“… We’ve had a lot bigger representation in Queensland than NSW and because our fans are so loyal and passionate they follow whose got the most Melbourne Storm players in their team.”