Accidental or sinister? Melbourne Storm coach is busted slapping Cooper Cronk’s injured shoulder at a press conference days before NRL grand final
- Craig Bellamy seemed to be testing Cronk’s injured shoulder with a farewell pat
- Macquarie Sport pundit said the tap was the half-back’s ‘unofficial fitness test’
- It is feared Cronk has torn his rotator cuff so badly he won’t play on Saturday
- Bellamy has admitted his team plan to target Cronk’s shoulder in the Grand Final
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has been caught out testing the injured shoulder of former player and NRL grand final opponent Cooper Cronk.
The shoulder tap at Thursday’s press conference didn’t go unnoticed by former NRL star Mark Riddell.
He told Macquarie Sports Radio on Friday he noticed the moment and immediately thought there may be some sinister intentions behind the veteran mentor’s fondle.
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has been pictured testing the injured shoulder of former player and NRL grand final opponent Cooper Cronk at a press conference just days before the big game at Allianz Stadium
‘As Cooper Cronk was walking away, there was a gentle little tap on the left shoulder from Craig Bellamy,’ Riddell said.
‘I think he was trying to get a feel to see if Cooper flinched or anything like that.’
Co-host Mark Levy, meanwhile, described the pat as an ‘unofficial fitness test’.
It is feared Cronk has torn his rotator cuff so severely there is little chance he can play in the Grand Final.
Bellamy told Channel 9’s The Footy Show his side would not hesitate to target Cronk in Sunday’s grand final in Sydney.
He said: ‘Not going to go chasing him all over the field but if we get someone close enough we’re going to run hard at him put it that way.’
NRL legend Mark Riddell said on Macquarie Sports Radio: ‘I think he was trying to get a feel to see if Cooper (pictured) flinched or anything like that’
It is feared Cronk (pictured front at press conference) has torn his rotator cuff so severely there is little chance he can play in the Grand Final
Bellamy gave Cronk the same farewell pat on the injured shoulder that saw him wince in pain when he was slapped on the back by the Roosters’ mascot after their preliminary final win.
Meanwhile 2003 NRL grand final hero Scott Sattler told the Macquarie Sport breakfast show he thought Cronk ‘loved to make it all about himself’.
The half-back spent the first 13 years of his career with the Storm, before making the move to the Roosters last year.
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