STORM coach Craig Bellamy has no intention of allowing representative prop Tim Glasby to join the Knights without a fight.
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As revealed this week by the Newcastle Herald, the Knights have expressed interest in Glasby, who is a free agent at the end of this season.
The 28-year-old Queensland Origin rep and 2017 grand final winner is expected to travel to Newcastle as soon as this weekend, to inspect the club’s training facilities and city and meet with Knights coach Nathan Brown.
But Bellamy said at his weekly press conference on Thursday that Melbourne would be trying to retain him.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of that [Newcastle’s approach],” Bellamy said.
“I knew he was off contract, Tim, and hopefully we can keep him here.
“He’s a pretty valuable member of our team and has been for the last couple of years. He played Origin last year, so we know what a quality player he is.
“Hopefully we can hang onto him.”
A 2013 debutant, Glasby has appeared in 91 NRL games for the Storm, missing only nine games over the past four seasons.
Meanwhile Bellamy revealed a “couple of guys have been put on notice” as the Storm strive to bounce back from consecutive losses when they host Newcastle at AAMI Park on Friday.
He said Melbourne would not be underestimating the new-look Knights, who sit above them on the points table after wins against Manly, Canberra and Brisbane.
"They obviously recruited well in the off-season," Bellamy said.
"They have some real experience there and some real class as well. That young fullback [Kalyn Ponga], I hadn't seen him play a whole heap but he is an outstanding player.
"Mitchell [Pearce] has added a whole heap to them and Slade Griffin going up there, he is playing some good footy.
"They have some guys who have played a lot of big-time footy.
“Pearce has played a whole heap for NSW, Aidan Guerra, Jacob Lillyman have played a heap for Queensland so they have that real experience there now, big time, big games that they didn't have the last two or three years and it has made a real difference to them."
Bellamy has promoted Ryley Jacks to halfback at the expense of Brodie Croft, who scored a hat-trick of tries in Melbourne’s 44-12 win against the Knights in round 24 last season.
A late bloomer, 25-year-old Jacks has played in 13 top-grade games as half or five-eighth.
“He is there this week and then we will see what happens Friday night and go from there,” Bellamy said.
“If you put yourself in his shoes, last year I think he played 12 games and did a real good, blue-collar job for us and we had 10 or 11 wins in that time.
“He played his part and last year ... having said that we have a lot of belief in Brodie as well.”
