MacDonald earns an 'A' for effort as Bellamy's Renegades rise up

Such is Storm forward Alec MacDonald's humility that he happily admits that “you don’t have to be the most talented bloke” to fit into Craig Bellamy’s respected and revered Melbourne system.

You just have to work hard, and then turn around and work hard again. 

“The system is fitted for those effort areas,” MacDonald told pan66.com. “You don’t have to be the most talented bloke.

"Some of the effort stuff we’re asked to do here – it’s simple in writing, but it’s actually hard to do when you’re blowing and you’re out there and you’re tired, a lot of stuff that you’re asked to do repeatedly is really tough. 

“So if anyone’s got that work ethic and drive to push through those pain barriers and keep doing it, I think anyone can really fit into that system. That’s all it really takes.” 

There's that humility again. 

The unheralded Kiwi who arrived in Melbourne in the 2022 pre-season on a train-and-trial contract is happy to talk the system up and himself down.

The fact he was handed his NRL debut in the opening round of 2022 against Wests Tigers shows how quickly he made an impression on Bellamy and his coaching staff. 

The 22-year-old made 20 appearances in this season’s minor premiership charge, all but one of them from the interchange bench.

He is one of the players that form the backbone of any successful team – someone who consistently performs week in, week out, without too much fanfare. 

Much has been made of the Storm’s ability to continue to perform despite injuries and the Origin drain.

The likes of Sua Faalogo, Tyran Wishart, Grant Anderson and Bronson Garlick are among countless names that have impressed throughout the season. 

The seemingly endless line of talent is not a coincidence.

The players who are not seeing NRL action every week are a massive factor in the Storm’s success.

“On all the successful years we’ve had in the past, they’ve had really good 'Renegades', which is what we call our other 13 in our opposed sessions,” MacDonald explained.  

“The years when we’ve had strong, competitive blokes going at the NRL squad each training session - that’s when they had a lot of success.

“You could feel it early on in pre-season. I’d train on that side too and get really competitive.

"We’d often actually win some of those drill sessions, and then there’d always be a few fights, arguments, stuff like that.

'That’s on the field, it doesn’t carry over off it, but it just shows that we’re extremely competitive, and that’s what lifts the standards. 

“Especially lately, I think we’ve driven it again. We’ve those boys really pushing us, and it has been really good. It helps a lot with success.” 

MacDonald credits his growth this season to the work of rucks coach Ryan Hinchcliffe and wrestle coach John Donehue, while teammate Josh King has proven himself a trusted mentor.

“Coming here in my first year, it was Josh’s first year as well,” MacDonald said.

“The NRL boys that were there the last year, they had a few weeks off, so they would have started a bit later.

"So early on he was my mentor who showed me the ropes coming into my first system, and then he’s been a leader ever since.  

“He leads the way with all of those things I said earlier about effort, his defence, stuff like that. I’ve really liked seeing what he does and follow that path.” 

Melbourne is a unique place to play footy.

The relative anonymity the players enjoy in an AFL-obsessed city comes at a cost, with the majority living away from where they grew up, away from the family bonds.

Eli Katoa and Harry Grant have spoken about kava dates with teammates. Nelson Asofa-Solomona hosts a weekly coffee club, a safe place for the squad to talk about anything. The closeness of the players is obvious. 

“It’s a good culture,” MacDonald said. “We’ve always got time for a laugh. Nothing else really matters – if you don’t want to play for each other and you’re not mates, what’s the point of even doing all that other stuff?” 

After disposing of the Sharks in week one of the finals, the Storm are two wins away from a title that would mean the world to the man affectionately dubbed 'The Chin'.

"It would be really special for all that hard work,” he said.

“Even looking back to pre-season – to pay that and make it worthwhile, it would be really special, and a dream come true.”