“That’s a big legacy for Craig. You go through it and David Kidwell was also the assistant coach of Argentina, Jason Ryles was an assistant coach for a period with England rugby union. It’s spread far and wide.

Loading

“It shows what Craig does, and his greatest attribute is he has a lot of care for people under him, whether they are coaches or players. For people who work hard under him, there are some great rewards and we’ve seen them come through the Storm system.”

In a nod to how well Origin is received in Victoria, Melbourne has become one of the few destinations outside the heartland states to be given hosting status. In recent series, there has been talk of the NSW side being “Pantherised” due to the plethora of players selected from the reigning premiers. However, no club will have more influence on the result than the one based in Victoria.

“We are extremely proud to have so many representatives involved in both the NSW and QLD programs, on and off the field, which is a great reflection on the people we have at our club” said Storm CEO Justin Rodski.

Bellamy was at the helm of NSW for three years, between 2008-10, but has yet to taste a series victory.

“It’s great Craig agreed to do it because he might have felt his Origin days were done with his involvement with the Storm,” Hoffman said.

“With the way it has come up with the byes [the Storm have most of their breaks during the interstate series], I’m going to use a shocking pun and say it’s almost a perfect storm to be back in the Origin frame.”

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.