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Shattered Craig Bellamy's quit offer rejected
EXCLUSIVE by Phil Rothfield Sports Editor-at-large From: The Daily Telegraph June 18, 2010 12:00AM
SHATTERED Craig Bellamy offered to stand down immediately as NSW coach at an emotion-charged team dinner after Wednesday night's Origin debacle.
His confidence smashed after three drubbings in as many years, Bellamy quietly took NSWRL general manager Geoff Carr to a corner of the function room just after midnight at Brisbane's Sofitel Hotel to hand in his resignation.
As momentum gathered last night for crisis-riddled NSW to install Channel 9 commentator Phil Gould as a Blues director of coaching, The Daily Telegraph learnt of the private conversation in which a distraught Bellamy offered to quit on the spot.
"I'm not going to give Craig up - it was a private chat between the two of us," said Carr, who is understood to have rejected his resignation. "All I will say is that I had a long conversation with him and encouraged him to win the last game of the series in Sydney [July 7]."
Bellamy would be aware a decision has already been made to replace him next season using a coach without club commitments - not that he would have applied again anyway.
It now remains to be seen whether Gould is prepared to put aside his differences with Carr and the NSWRL administration to help restore pride in NSW football.
Carr said he would consider any proposal for the Channel 9 commentator to run the Blues' Origin campaign.
"We'll do a full review at the end of the series," he said.
"We'll open it up to suggestions and I wouldn't rule anything out. Gus is the most successful coach in NSW history but he has said categorically that he won't get involved again.
"But if we do the review, and there's an outcome that he should be approached, I wouldn't have a problem doing that."
EXCLUSIVE by Phil Rothfield Sports Editor-at-large From: The Daily Telegraph June 18, 2010 12:00AM
SHATTERED Craig Bellamy offered to stand down immediately as NSW coach at an emotion-charged team dinner after Wednesday night's Origin debacle.
His confidence smashed after three drubbings in as many years, Bellamy quietly took NSWRL general manager Geoff Carr to a corner of the function room just after midnight at Brisbane's Sofitel Hotel to hand in his resignation.
As momentum gathered last night for crisis-riddled NSW to install Channel 9 commentator Phil Gould as a Blues director of coaching, The Daily Telegraph learnt of the private conversation in which a distraught Bellamy offered to quit on the spot.
"I'm not going to give Craig up - it was a private chat between the two of us," said Carr, who is understood to have rejected his resignation. "All I will say is that I had a long conversation with him and encouraged him to win the last game of the series in Sydney [July 7]."
Bellamy would be aware a decision has already been made to replace him next season using a coach without club commitments - not that he would have applied again anyway.
It now remains to be seen whether Gould is prepared to put aside his differences with Carr and the NSWRL administration to help restore pride in NSW football.
Carr said he would consider any proposal for the Channel 9 commentator to run the Blues' Origin campaign.
"We'll do a full review at the end of the series," he said.
"We'll open it up to suggestions and I wouldn't rule anything out. Gus is the most successful coach in NSW history but he has said categorically that he won't get involved again.
"But if we do the review, and there's an outcome that he should be approached, I wouldn't have a problem doing that."
