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Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has expressed disappointment about his players being treated like lepers by away fans, saying they deserve better.
Storm players were under attack last Friday night from a vocal band of Parramatta supporters who branded them cheats following the exposure of their club's salary cap rorting.
Some called for the visitors to hand over the NRL premiership trophy to the Eels, who they beat in last year's grand final.
While Melbourne players said after Friday's 24-10 loss they weren't upset by the taunts, Bellamy was determined to stick up for his men.
"Our guys are a bit frustrated from what we copped from the crowd as soon as we got there but we can't control what the crowd do,'' he told radio station SEN.
"The players felt a little bit unloved at times, we are treated like lepers at most of our away games.''
Investigators from Deloitte, employed by the NRL to audit the club and unravel the extent of the salary cap scandal, have allegedly found that Storm skipper Cameron Smith had three contracts, while other players also had multiple deals.
There are also claims some Melbourne players almost certainly knew that some of their payments came from third parties in ways that would not be counted towards the salary cap.
Players, including Smith, and officials are refusing to comment until the investigation is complete, with the matter also before the courts.
Storm chairman Rob Moodie and the club's three other independent directors have taken legal action against the NRL, claiming the league's chief executive David Gallop broke NRL rules and denied the Storm due process in stripping premierships and points.
The matter will return to the Victorian Supreme Court for a further directions hearing on Wednesday.
Bellamy said he felt his players deserved better from away fans, but conceded it was a situation that they would have to accept.
"At the end of day everybody left at our club are good people and we probably don't deserve that,'' he said.
"But we can't control what the crowd do, they pay their money and they can go along and do what they like.
"We have to get used to that because we're obviously going to cop more of it.''
The Storm have won four or their six matches since they were ruled ineligible to win points this season and Bellamy said they would continue to be a force regardless of the lack of reward.
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has expressed disappointment about his players being treated like lepers by away fans, saying they deserve better.
Storm players were under attack last Friday night from a vocal band of Parramatta supporters who branded them cheats following the exposure of their club's salary cap rorting.
Some called for the visitors to hand over the NRL premiership trophy to the Eels, who they beat in last year's grand final.
While Melbourne players said after Friday's 24-10 loss they weren't upset by the taunts, Bellamy was determined to stick up for his men.
"Our guys are a bit frustrated from what we copped from the crowd as soon as we got there but we can't control what the crowd do,'' he told radio station SEN.
"The players felt a little bit unloved at times, we are treated like lepers at most of our away games.''
Investigators from Deloitte, employed by the NRL to audit the club and unravel the extent of the salary cap scandal, have allegedly found that Storm skipper Cameron Smith had three contracts, while other players also had multiple deals.
There are also claims some Melbourne players almost certainly knew that some of their payments came from third parties in ways that would not be counted towards the salary cap.
Players, including Smith, and officials are refusing to comment until the investigation is complete, with the matter also before the courts.
Storm chairman Rob Moodie and the club's three other independent directors have taken legal action against the NRL, claiming the league's chief executive David Gallop broke NRL rules and denied the Storm due process in stripping premierships and points.
The matter will return to the Victorian Supreme Court for a further directions hearing on Wednesday.
Bellamy said he felt his players deserved better from away fans, but conceded it was a situation that they would have to accept.
"At the end of day everybody left at our club are good people and we probably don't deserve that,'' he said.
"But we can't control what the crowd do, they pay their money and they can go along and do what they like.
"We have to get used to that because we're obviously going to cop more of it.''
The Storm have won four or their six matches since they were ruled ineligible to win points this season and Bellamy said they would continue to be a force regardless of the lack of reward.
