STORM coach Craig Bellamy was sprung at the NRL grand final press conference “fitness testing” Roosters rival Cooper Cronk.

The Roosters halfback’s shoulder injury continues to overshadow both team’s preparations for Sunday’s NRL grand final at ANZ Stadium.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson has admitted his team already knows if Cronk will play in the season finale — and is openly playing mind games with the Storm, hoping to keep Bellamy in the dark until he has to finalise his team one hour before kick-off.

Cronk fronted Thursday’s grand final press conference where he came face to face with his former Storm teammates.

The 34-year-old was no longer in a sling — as he appeared in his media conference earlier this week following revelations he suffered a rotator cuff injury in his left shoulder during the Roosters’ win over the Rabbitohs in last week’s grand final qualifier.

Cronk said he still needs a “Hail Mary” to prove his fitness in time to take the field for the Chooks.

“I got a bit of improvement today and it definitely needs some. Still trying to throw a Hail Mary. Hopefully it lands and we’ll see how we go on Sunday,” Cronk said.

The explanation left fans and the Storm none the wiser as to whether the star playmaker will be there on Sunday night.

Cronk’s explanation clearly wasn’t good enough for Bellamy — who was spotted by Channel 9 cameras behind the scenes at the event giving Cronk’s injured limb a touch-up.

NRL great Mark Riddell 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.

“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 described it as an “unofficial fitness test”.

A very observant Piggy @riddell009 noticed that @sydneyroosters Cooper Cronk was tapped on the shoulder by @storm's Coach Craig Bellamy... Take a look for yourself! Do you think he will play? pic.twitter.com/HFiRNowi6h — Mark Levy & Mark Riddell (@LevyandRiddell) September 28, 2018

Riddell said it was funny that Bellamy would give Cronk the same farewell pat on the injured shoulder that saw Cronk wince in pain when he was slapped on the back by the Roosters’ mascot after their preliminary final win.

Cronk famously left the Storm blindsided by his decision to leave the club at the end of 2017 to join the Roosters.

Storm captain Cam Smith on Thursday reiterated he never expected Cronk to leave, despite reports during the season that he’d already agreed to a deal with the Roosters.

“I was caught off-guard a little bit. I didn’t really expect that to happen, that he was going to leave our club,” Smith said.

Any lingering bitterness between the Storm and Cronk would certainly explain Bellamy’s little shoulder squeeze. It seems much more likely, however, that Bellamy just wanted to get a feel on if Cronk will play on Sunday or not.

Despite the lame liability he looked in the second half against the Rabbitohs after suffering the injury — Cronk is now expected to play in the decider.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Andrew Webster told Sky Sports Radio on Friday that multiple Roosters players have told him off the record that Cronk will play.

The veteran journalist said one player told him on Thursday that Cronk will suit up for the grand final.

Meanwhile, Bellamy admitted his team will try to target Cronk in Sunday’s grand final — if the situation arises.

“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,” Bellamy told Channel 9’s The Footy Show.



Cronk continues to undergo intense rehabilitation over a rotator cuff issue that includes round-the-clock massages, physio and ice treatments. “I think most people in this room know that I’m pretty diligent, pretty professional with what I do, but I’ve gone up 1000 knots on that this week,” Cronk said.

But he has yet to attempt tackling a player.

“To be able to do some of the things to get stability, movement, range, it’s okay, it’s an improvement. But it’s not enough to tackle Jesse Bromwich or Dale Finucane,” Cronk said.

“So I’ve got a fair bit of work to do.”

Asked if he would have to prove his fitness by bringing down Dylan Napa, he said: “Yeah, because it’s going to happen on Sunday. I have to do something like that.

“Maybe I could pick a smaller bloke like (Luke) Keary.

“But it’s just going to get to a point where I have to test it. I’ll tell you right now, the only reason why I won’t play on the weekend, is I’ll be physically incapable of doing it.”

— with AAP