Craig Bellamy Fires Right Back At Eels Coach Brad Arthur

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has fired back at Eels coach Brad Arthur over suggestions about his side's defensive tactics.

Arthur had a crack at the Storm on Friday night, saying they are "the best" at wrestling and laying all over teams ahead of their qualifying final next week.

"If we're allowed to play a bit of football, we might be a chance," he said.

They were comments Bellamy wasn't stoked with.

"It's amazing - every year it happens," he said. 

"Come semi-final time – a coach comes out (to criticise us).

"Like I said last year – it's the same song but a different singer.

"Brad made the point if they're allowed to come down and play their footy, well at the end of the day they can play any footy they like when they come down – that's their decision."

Bellamy continued to hit out at Arthur, saying he needs to look "at his own backyard" before he says something like that.

"But if he was having a go at us about defence and smothering, or whatever he likes to call it, I'll be talking to the referees boss this week about them, how they just lay all over opposition attack inside their opposition 20 metre zone.

"They go to sleep there sometimes, so again, he wants to fire a few shots at us, we'll be firing a few shots back. 

"Their players lay on in the play of the ball inside that 20 metres. I'm not quite sure how they get away with some of it. He should be looking at his own backyard before he looks at us."