BY STAFF WRITERS

Craig Bellamy has lit the fire for Friday night’s grand final re-match against the Sydney Roosters with the Melbourne coach labeling his opposition “condescending”.

Earlier in the week in the buildup to the AAMI Park blockbuster, several high-ranking Chooks went out of their way to compliment the Storm including captain Boyd Cordner who called Melbourne the best team in the premiership and Luke Keary who compared the Storm to football giant Barcelona.

“They were the team last year that won the competition and they won it easy in the end,” Bellamy said.

“We all know who the best team was last season. This week there has been a few of their players who have come out and pumped our tires up.

“I think we were compared to Barcelona by Luke Keary.

“So obviously they have sat down earlier in the week and worked out between themselves that ‘we will pump their tires up them come out and blow them away with shotguns on Friday night’.

“We’ve all found it a little bit condescending to be quite honest.

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“Everyone knows what a great team they are. You have Keary playing the best football of his career and James Tedesco is almost the best player in the game and with their forwards, their outside backs.

“Us as a team, we know how big of an assignment this is.”

Bellamy also took a shot at Roosters fans for booing Billy Slater in the grand final which was his final NRL outing.

He said the same wouldn’t happen to the returning Cooper Cronk in his first match back in Melbourne as a Rooster.

“Our supporters were disappointed with what happened to Billy in last year’s grand final, that was wrong, but they won’t do that to Cooper.”