Even Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy admits he feels sorry for Brisbane ahead of the teams’ NRL clash on Friday.
But the Storm mentor has vowed not to show any mercy against the battling Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
A former Broncos assistant, Bellamy admits he has been shocked by the struggles of six-time premiers Brisbane.
After winning their first two games the Broncos have barely fired a shot in anger, with seven losses in eight games since the NRL resumed following the coronavirus shutdown.
Now sitting third-last, Brisbane’s fortunes do not look like improving against a rampant Storm outfit they have not beaten at Suncorp Stadium since 2009.
Melbourne are eyeing their fifth straight win – a streak that has included victories over last year’s grand finalists Sydney Roosters and Canberra.
“At the start of the year you couldn’t have seen what has happened,” Bellamy said of Brisbane’s poor form.
“A couple of their losses have been shocks. They’ve had big losses.
“It’s hard not to feel for them to be honest. You don’t want to see any team go through what they are going through.”
Bellamy also feels for under-fire Broncos coach Anthony Seibold and his family, saying he had reached out to his former assistant at the Storm.
“I spoke to Anthony about two or three weeks ago,” he said.
“What disappoints me is when these guys come under a lot of scrutiny … it’s what their families go through – they cop it as well.
“People in those (coaching) positions, they sign up for that. Your families don’t.”
Sympathetic as he may be to the Broncos’ plight, Bellamy does not intend to extend any favours on Friday night, demanding the Storm are at their most ruthless.
“While our thoughts are with the Broncos we are playing them … we can’t afford to show them too much sympathy,” he said.
“Our job is not to sit back and think about what they are going through – it is to play well.”
Melbourne have not lost to a bottom-four team since 2015, a run Bellamy is keen to see continue.
“That is something we pride ourselves on. Whether we are playing a team on the top or the bottom, we don’t want to change our focus or mentality,” he said.
Fijian flyer Suliasi Vunivalu (hamstring) is rated only a “50-50” chance of playing his first game in three weeks.
