Up-and-down Storm leave Bellamy confused

Storm coach Craig Bellamy admits he's in unfamiliar territory dealing with the side's latest bout of inconsistency after an underwhelming 21-14 loss to Penrith on Friday night.

The Storm arrived to Campbelltown and were tipped to continue on their form after toppling the Rabbitohs and Knights in recent weeks but fell to a Panthers outfit that were far more motivated.

A possible come-from-behind win looked on the cards from Bellamy's men when they levelled the score midway through the second half but Penrith produced the big-play effort to claim the win.

"I didn't think we were good enough all night even when we got to 14-all," Bellamy said.

"I didn't think we were coming home over the top or anything, we were just outplayed, out-enthused and out-aggressed to be honest.

"They were a lot more interested in the game than what we were."

After breezing through the competition with just four losses last season, Bellamy said the "yo-yo" type performances were a concern given the team is usually quite effective in the fundamental areas.

"We don't want to be that team but that's the team we were tonight," Bellamy said.

"We've been up and down like a yo-yo so far. I'm not sure what's coming this week or this half, that's a bit confusing for me and it's not what we usually are.

"We need to decide what sort of team we want to be. We've got a few new players and younger guys but they know what we want to be.

"That [Kikau] try summed it up, we talked about watching [Nathan Cleary] kick there all week with Crichton, there was no-one within five or six metres of him when he caught the ball.

"It's alright saying what we want to be but at the end of the day it's what you do which answers that."

The Storm were without Jahrome Hughes, who is due back next week, while they lost Josh Addo-Carr before the clash due to the birth of his child.

Meanwhile, Bellamy reluctantly responded to reports on Friday linking him to the Bulldogs but confirmed the 2021 season was likely to be his final year at the club in a head coaching role.

"I haven't spoken to anyone from the Bulldogs and I don't have a manager now," Bellamy said.

"Dean Pay is a friend of mine and I don't think that's fair on Dean. He's got into a tough job there and I think he's doing a good job.

"He was at our club and started his coaching career at our club. He's very well-thought of here.

"I've got a contract for next year with the Storm. I'm 62 this year so I'm thinking next year will probably be it for head coaching. But having said that things change at times. I've said that before but it's a young man's job these days."