Bellamy: 'This year has been tough, but it's a walk in the park compared to 2010'

Craig Bellamy has praised the playing group and Melbourne Storm staff for adapting to a 'topsy turvy' 2020.

"The players have handled everything remarkably well," he said to media on Saturday ahead of our round 12 clash with the Knights.

"It has been topsy turvy and we’ve had to do a lot of adapting, but the players and the staff and all the families have shown a lot of resilience and a lot of patience."

When asked to compare the circumstances of this year with the salary cap fallout of 2010, Bellamy said even after a decade had softened the edges, 2010 was still the toughest season in the club's history.

2010 was a tough year with the salary cap stuff - this is a walk in the park compared to that season.

Craig Bellamy

Bellamy said Cameron Smith had been given no time frame to make a decision about his playing future.

"As a club we will plan for him retiring and plan for him not retiring," he said.

"We will have a couple of options for whatever happens.

"I've said all along, there’s no way in the world I'll put pressure on Cameron to make a decision - he’s done a whole heap for this club and for the game and he deserves to make the decision in his own time."

He added that the extraordinary circumstances of this year had likely muddied the water.

"I'm sure everything that's happened this year has clouded the decision more," Bellamy said.

"We’ve had to leave our homes to go to Albury and leave our homes again to come up here, and now we’re going to be here (in Queensland) for months.

"We will plan for both scenarios and when Cam is ready to make his decision we’ll put one of those plans in action."