Adam O’Brien, Craig Bellamy’s right-hand man, is tasked with helping plot the downfall of the Roosters in the grand final. The team he will join next season.
While Cooper Cronk’s injury and Billy Slater’s judiciary hearing dominated the news cycle this week, O’Brien’s positional is another intriguing storyline. He is considered an NRL head coach in waiting and could potentially get his chance within the next 12 months given the volatile landscape for clipboard holders.
Changing sides: Melbourne Storm assistant coach Adam O’Brien is joining the Roosters in 2019.
He described the decision to switch to Sunday’s opponents as "the hardest thing I’ve ever done" after a decade at the premiers and is keen to leave on the highest possible note.
"It’s a little bit weird," O’Brien said. "I haven’t [thought about the move] and that’s the brutally honest answer. I’ve committed to the group I’m with here now, I’ve been here for 11 years and I’m certainly playing my role with what’s left for the next couple of weeks.
"I’ll think about next year in a month’s time."
Bellamy has anointed O’Brien as his successor, but the latter is keen to round out his apprenticeship before making the step up.
"Eleven years, you form a lot of friendships and bonds there," he said.
"I’m certainly very close to the head coach in Craig but I was also mindful in terms of my own development.
"It was important that I do a thorough apprenticeship and moving to a strong club would certainly benefit my career. I wouldn’t leave the Storm for anyone. There’s a healthy respect there as far as competition, but it was very hard [to leave].
"It will serve me well in the future and hopefully I can find my way back there one day."
The Storm believe Cronk will play, but have also done contingency planning should he be a late scratching.
"I’ve chopped and changed a few times during the week," O’Brien said of Cronk’s availability. "I think he might [play], yeah. We’ve got a plan in place if he does play and we have one if he doesn’t. We’ve stopped worrying about it a little bit.
"It’s probably not an ideal preparation but one they’ve been forced to go through. He’s a quality player and I can understand them wanting to give him every chance to get up for it."
O’Brien said Cronk would be fair game if he recovered from his shoulder injury in time to face his former club.
"Absolutely," he said. "We’ve had the luxury of having him with us, so we’re fully aware of what he’s capable of."
Asked if the Roosters will be able to hide Cronk in defence, O’Brien said: "It’s quite hard, the short answer is no.
"Not for the entire game. They can certainly move him one hole wider and defend him at two in, but at some stage he’s going to have to come into some sort of contact I’d imagine for a big guy.
"There’s a lot of emotional attachment with each other and we’ve been friendly with each other through the year. But he understands that better than anyone, tomorrow for 80 minutes there is no such thing."
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