Melbourne Storm forward Christian Welch has given an insight into how his head coach Craig Bellamy operates.
Bellamy, 62, is considered one of the greatest coaches in Australian sport history, and Welch detailed exactly how he gets his troops ready in the pre-season.
While Bellamy has been in charge of the Storm since 2003, Welch says he now has a hands-off approach in the lead up to the year.
“It’s interesting, in the pre-season he doesn’t really run any of the training,” Welch said on SEN The Run Home.
“He’s a bit of an observer, he doesn’t do much man-management at all, he really delegates to his assistants.
“I think that keeps him fresh when he hits the season. Look, he’s hard when he needs to be.
“He can be hard when he needs to be because of his track record of success and I think there’s a real trust in the playing group with Craig as our leader and our coaching staff that they’re preparing us as best they can.
“Even with our performance staff, we know they’re tough in the pre-season but we know it’s preparing us physically so nothing surprises us Round 1 and onwards.
“He’s a tough operator, but he rewards good things as well. He’s not that bloke that’s consistently negative.”
Having played for the club since 2015, Welch says he believes Bellamy has evolved significantly over the last eight years.
“I think he’s softened up a bit, the big fella,” Welch added.
“I think when I first arrived he was pretty brutal, and probably before I got there he was brutal with the players.
“But, he really cares about his players, he takes an interest in them.
“His son is on the staff and he has his grandkids now, I think he really understands the life away from football and the Storm.
“His priority is family and his loved ones, they come first always, that comes before football.
“Then it’s football, and then there’s a clear distance for third to anything else in life.”
Bellamy and the Storm will look to embark on another successful season when they face the Wests Tigers at CommBank Stadium in Round 1.