Bellamy allows Folau more time
March 19, 2008 - 7:48PM
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy says he's taken the foot off the pedal in pressuring teen sensation Israel Folau to make a decision on his NRL future.Folau was due to make a call on his future this week, with the 18-year-old believed to be weighing up massive offers from both the Storm and Brisbane, where much of his family is based.
But Bellamy said he would not be pushing his gun youngster, having already admitted the process had affected his football over the pre-season and in the World Club Challenge loss to Leeds."If he needs a bit more time, I'm willing to give that to him," Bellamy said."He needs to be happy with where he's going. "The thing that we've forgotten all along is he's only 18 years old. "He's had a lot of pressure on him, (the media) have been at him all the time, we've been at him to make a decision."Here he is an 18-year-old, and it's a big decision for him."
Storm boss Brian Waldron said he had been in almost daily contact with Folau's manager Issac Mosses, which included talks on Wednesday afternoon.Asked if he thought a decision was imminent, Waldron admitted he was still a little in the dark."We would love to resolve it as quickly as possible, but it hasn't proved as easy as what we probably thought it would be," Waldron said."It's not even a money issue any more to be honest - it stopped being a money issue when he rejected offers from the Sydney clubs."
But while the Storm may be going easy on their young star, Bellamy admitted the club was still desperate to sign the player who last year became the youngest to make his Test debut for Australia when he appeared in the end of season Test against New Zealand. "We want him to stay, he's happy in Melbourne and we'd love him to stay," Bellamy said."But if the right decision is to go somewhere else, it's the right decision."At the same time, I think it would be wrong for him to go somewhere if it's the right decision to stay in Melbourne."
