Craig Bellamy says he's unable to split the current NRL champions and the Melbourne Storm team that won the 2007 grand final for the best side in the club's history.
Bellamy's current crop won the minor premiership by a streak and then crushed North Queensland by 28 points in the NRL grand final in Sydney on Sunday.
In 2007 Melbourne also won the minor premiership with 21 wins for the season and went on to beat Manly in the grand final.
The 2007 team also included the big three of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Billy Slater, who were instrumental in this year's 34-6 victory.
It also included Wallabies fullback Israel Folau and Souths captain Greg Inglis.
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The key distinction was that the side was stripped of their title three years after the event for systematic salary cap breaches by Storm administrators, which Bellamy and his players knew nothing about.
That aside Bellamy said the teams a decade apart were equally as good after winning both the minor premiership and grand final.
"They're the best two teams but I'm not too sure which is the best," Bellamy said.
"The funny thing is that we came off losing a grand final the year before (in both) so there's a heap of similarities but to make a call between those two sides would be too hard."
Storm lost to Brisbane in 2006 and to Cronulla in 2016.
The Storm is eager to extend Bellamy's contract beyond 2018 but the coach said he wasn't in any rush.
He also believed Billy Slater would play on.
With so many young players in the current side Bellamy had confidence in the team's future.
"The big three are going to be replaced and we face the first one out next year with Cooper not being there, but we'll have Brodie Croft come in and he'll keep improving his game," Bellamy said.
"Hopefully when it's time for the other players (Slater and Smith) to leave we'll have others come in and do the same".
