Bellamy's 'secret weapon' — grandson's bracelet — back as Storm reach NRL preliminary final

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy revealed a small, personal superstition after his side beat the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 26-18 on Friday to reach the NRL preliminary final, saying he returned to wearing a bracelet made by his grandson after removing it for two recent defeats.

The Storm recovered from consecutive heavy losses — a 40-10 defeat to the Sydney Roosters and a 30-14 loss to the Brisbane Broncos — to hold off a gallant Bulldogs outfit that played much of the match without injured skipper Stephen Crichton. Bellamy said he had taken the bracelet off for the two losses and put it back on for the finals victory.

"Craig Bellamy came up after the presser last night to show us his bracelet and said his grandson made it," Channel 7 reporter Jelisa Apps posted. Bellamy, who has four grandchildren — Billy, Bowie and Sunny through his son Aaron, and Poppy through his daughter Keeley — said the decision to wear the bracelet again coincided with the Storm ending their losing streak.

Bellamy said he was not entirely satisfied with his team's performance despite the win, pointing to lapses with ball control and defence. "I thought we really started the game well, but I thought we lost our way with the ball a bit. I think what hung us in today's game was our defence," he said, while commending the Bulldogs for their resilience given their injury problems and positional reshuffles.

Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo praised his side's courage in defeat. "It's one of the bravest performances I've seen or been involved in," he said. "I'm just incredibly proud of how they prepared and how they played. A lot's been said about how we've been playing, but we came down here full of belief and played like it and the mission stays the same. We've still got three wins to do what we want to do."

The victory marks Melbourne's 18th appearance in a preliminary final and their 10th in the past 11 seasons under Bellamy, who is pursuing a 12th grand final berth with the club. The win gives the Storm a week off from play as they await the winner of the other qualifying matches to determine their opponent in the preliminary final.

Bellamy also voiced frustration with some refereeing decisions that went against his side but said he was pleased the players would get a break at a critical point in the season. The Bulldogs, despite the loss and their injury toll, were lauded for battling throughout the match and maintaining belief in their season's objectives.