Graham Lowe: Bell's miracle lessons ring true

What little top-eight opportunity there was for the Warriors knocked at their door last Sunday afternoon.

Failing to take the chance may turn out to have been a catastrophic mistake with the repercussions biting for weeks.

The Grim Reaper of football certainly heard the knock and jumped at the opportunity to join the party.

And to add more pressure, the Warriors could now easily find themselves facing the wooden spoon.

So I'm sure coach Ivan Cleary would welcome a miracle worker.

But help could be as close as his Under-20 team manager. Dean Bell as a player was everything the Warriors seem to be lacking at present.

He had silky skills, a never-give-in attitude, speed to burn and a toughness few in today's game could match.

But for me as his coach with Wigan and the Kiwis he had reliability. This came from an attitude that was thoroughly professional.

But he also had a mean streak in him which I loved. He was a ruthless defender who could create mayhem in the opposition backline.

He operated on instinct and the instinct was survival and winning.

During the Kiwis' second test match against Australia in 1985 Australian captain Wally Lewis unwisely challenged Bell's knees while trying to break through a Kiwi tackle.

Lewis got stopped all right, but it was at the expense of Bell's right knee. Dean tore his posterior cruciate ligament and was taken from the field in pain. Mind you Lewis was left in a bit of pain too.

But Bell, who had played such a positive role in our campaign, was forced to wait out the rest of the game in the dressing room with his leg iced up.

We lost that test in the dying moments and there was plenty of emotion from all involved afterwards.

But I think for Bell it was worse because his injury meant six to eight weeks on the sideline.

He was obviously going to miss the third test the next Sunday.

This was terrible news for me as coach, because Bell was so important to the team. Before we left the dressing room I had a quiet word with our doctor, Lloyd Drake, and physiotherapist Glenn Gallagher on just how serious the injury was.

We told Bell of the grim wait ahead but I told him on the quiet I would give him to the morning of the game to prove his fitness.

While I was obviously hoping for a miracle, I also wanted to give him some encouragement because he was so down in the dumps.

In discussions with the selectors later that night we ruled out Bell.

But I underestimated the player's inner strength and determination and also the skill of our medical team.

They quietly worked on Bell's knee day and night, trying to give him some sort of chance. Each time I bumped into him during the week he'd say, "I'm looking good Lowie, I'm going to make it," and limp away.

On the morning of the game I was having my breakfast when up came a smiling Dean Bell and our physio.

Gallagher said: "Dean is okay to play today."

My first response was, "Aw, bullswool!" or words to that effect.

But the determined Bell quickly convinced me he would survive any fitness test I wanted to put him through.

We organised that down at the local park and shortly afterwards he came back covered in mud and dirt after completing a series of tackling and running drills.

It was a miracle and word quickly spread through the camp that Bell was playing.

Now I'm not sure if he was totally okay and to tell the truth I wasn't too concerned as long as he could do the job.

He took the field well strapped up and played 80 minutes as only a true champion like Dean Bell could do.

His effort that week inspired the team and I have never forgotten the sheer courage of the man.

That is probably the closest thing I've seen to a miracle on the footy field.

But, without the strength, guts and determination of Bell and the great work from Glenn Gallagher I doubt that miracle would have occurred.

And maybe that's the moral of the story. You have to work at getting a miracle.

There were two teams out there on the pitch at Mt Smart last Sunday, but only one of them played football. That is why the Bulldogs won. They simply played football for 80 minutes.

Some may argue that it was a miracle delivered to the Dogs fans.

I'd argue there was no miracle involved. They simply played football as it is supposed be played.

The Warriors players could do a lot worse than sit down and have a cuppa with Bell and let him tell a few stories about just what is needed to win. Talent, strength, guts and determination. Because without any one of them, they do face the wooden spoon.

I do hope Ivan Cleary has a miracle delivered. But as with Dean Bell, the miracle needs something special to stick to.

And that is a good game plan.