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Rugby League > Blues belief needs work: Bellamy
By David Beniuk
June 30, 2010

The new-look NSW side don't necessarily believe they can beat Queensland in State of Origin III - not yet anyway.

Coach Craig Bellamy says his game three Blues camp will be about instilling that belief, which he admits there has been a lack of during the first two matches of the series loss to Queensland.

"In certain parts of the game there has," he said.

"I wouldn't say going into the game, I don't think so, but there's certain times we've looked like, if the game's in a tight situation, Queensland seem to be the team that grabs the initiative most of the time.

"So perhaps that's a little bit of lack of belief but it's hard to know exactly.

"But certainly that's been the thing that has pretty much stood out in the last two games I reckon."

Bellamy said a squad with eight changes and four debutants did not arrive certain in the knowledge they could beat one of the greatest rugby league sides ever assembled.

"It's something we need to work on during the week," he said.

"How you get belief, to me the main part is making sure we work hard at training and they are very comfortable in what we're doing and why we're doing it.

"If we do that properly at training we'll be a chance of doing that well next week and that's how you get belief into your players.

"It's about having a plan that we all believe in and it's about believing in each other to be able to get their jobs done within that plan.

"(In the first two games) we didn't stick to what we practised, we didn't stick to what we believed in and then we got into trouble because of that."

Bellamy said the make-up of the Blues side, which includes new boys Jason King, Kade Snowden, Tim Mannah and Michael Gordon, was not a punt on the part of the selectors.

"There's a bit of an eye this time looking to the future," he said.

"Having said that, I think all these guys really deserve to be in there, they've been playing really well at NRL level.

"I don't think it's a gamble."

He also hit back at comments from his club captain at Melbourne, Cameron Smith, that NSW "don't learn their lesson" with selection.

"If you went back to before (Queensland's five straight series wins) when NSW won three in a row, I think they made a few changes there," he said.

"They were sort of in the same position as we are in now.

"After Alfie (Allan Langer) finished they went through a bit of a period there where they were chopping and changing as well."

He said the Blues' tactics would change for game three at ANZ Stadium next Wednesday, but not the "mentality" of the preparation.

"That's what I know best, I don't want to start going 180 degrees to what I believe in, that's not going to help anyone," he said.
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