On the surface, Harry Grant appeared to be in the midst of the greatest challenge of his captaincy, as his club grappled with four moments of heartache that threatened to break it amid a record-breaking losing streak.
But as he rejoined the Queensland Maroons’ fold in preparation for the State of Origin series launch, the Melbourne Storm hooker and skipper was defiant.
“Our group was fine throughout, it was just obviously deflating not getting those results. You put so much time and effort into it, and it just didn’t change the way that we wanted it to – or as quick as we wanted it to,” Grant said.
“I think it’s just important to stay together. We have a lot of joy still at training, and that’s what it’s all about.”
While that turmoil ensued, the Storm lost seven-straight games – the longest losing streak in their esteemed history – but Grant denied that was reflective of their teammates’ ordeals.
“The way I look back at it now, maybe through those six or seven weeks, we were probably just expecting what we did last year to be there in a way. We lost a fair bit of combination and key players in our team, and you don’t have to speak too much to those guys or simplify things too much,” he said.
“As a team, we went back to being a bit more simple and demanding a bit more … from each other.”
Melbourne have looked far closer to their old selves in the past two weeks, with wins against the Tigers (44-16) and Parramatta (34-8) coinciding with news of Bellamy’s health.
Grant has scored and made 44 tackles in each of those games, while making five linebreaks. His Storm and Maroons five-eighth, Cameron Munster, has crossed for three tries and run for more than 100 metres in each of those outings.
“You could say there’s extra motivation for sure, but I think that’s not spoken about as a playing group. It’s more internally; each player has their own little piece, but I think it’s just, timing wise, we had demanded a bit more, and our training standards started to show on the field,” Grant said.
Queensland and Melbourne forward Trent Loiero stressed the emotional drama had been no excuse for their performances.
“Everyone’s got stuff going on – the Broncos have 13 players out – so there’s stuff going on everywhere,” he said.
But Loiero has vowed to repay the faith that both Bellamy and Maroons coach Billy Slater have entrusted him with, having been on the receiving end of a social media backlash regarding his Origin selection.
On a pure statistical basis, the 25-year-old’s numbers – 80 running metres and 34 tackles a game – are dwarfed by the likes of Corey Horsburgh and Kulikefu Finefeuiaki in 2026, who both missed out on spots in Slater’s side.
Loiero confirmed he was off social media and did not entertain the criticism, conceding: “I can understand that I might not be everyone’s cup of tea as a player.”
But the Sunshine Coast product said Bellamy and Slater had given him jobs that often went unnoticed, and he would be playing to vindicate their support.
“I am a bit no frills, I have a certain job in the team at Melbourne, and it’s a pretty simple role. I’ve been playing under Craig for a fair few years now, and he obviously has a lot of faith in me,” Loiero said.
“To be able to repay him, play good footy for him, it’s a bit of a confidence booster. We were all in a little bit of shock [about Bellamy’s diagnosis], and still don’t know what’s next or what’s going to happen, but all we do know is we can put our best foot forward for him and try to make him proud.
“It’s been good to see him with a smile on his face, he’s a great man and been a great role model for myself and a lot of people in the game.
“I’m not sure what’s next for him, or next year or beyond that, all I know is we can put our best foot forward for him this year and make him proud.”
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