Belmore-bound Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr is hoping to bring leadership skills and premiership-winning experience to bear in Trent Barrett's Bulldogs rebuild next year.
After scoring a record-breaking six tries in his side's huge 50-0 win over Souths on Thursday night, Addo-Carr admitted to spending plenty of time thinking about his decision to leave the club for the last-placed Dogs but said he had no intentions of backing out of the deal.
"I think about it all the time," he said.
"Life's too short and I've got a family to look after and a family to spend time with and that's the whole reason I made the decision.
"I'm still blessed to be a part of this team and organisation. They turned my life around, it's pretty crazy the journey I've had so far."
Addo-Carr joins a select club with six tries in a match
He said it was hard not to watch his future employers' fortunes unfold week to week but was confident they were headed in the right direction.
"They're definitely building, they definitely try hard," he said.
"That's what you need in rugby league games, you want to compete in everything and I think they are. They need to fix a few things up. It's hard not to watch them but I'm obviously going to be there next year.
Addo-Carr 'blossomed' into more than just a speed guy says Bellamy
"I'm sure they'll keep improving every week. Not at all [concerned], I'm excited to go there next year. Excited for the challenge. I moved down to Melbourne to step out of my comfort zone, now I want to go up to Canterbury to build something special."
Addo-Carr's stunning six-try haul earned hefty praise from his coach not just for his trademark speed and skill but for his improvement as an all-round footballer and leader.
"When he came to us and even in the years after he came to us he relied on his pace, his speed," Bellamy said.
"I wouldn't say that's all he had to his game but … he's blossomed into a whole lot more. He's a lot stronger now, when he's not scoring tries he's looking to get out of our half.
"He's a lot stronger in contact there, his smarts have really improved, he knows what the game's about, what he can do and what he can't do.
"The other big one for me, he's really turned into a leader. He didn't tend to say much on the field. He says a lot off the field.
"On the field now he's one of our guys that really encourage other boys and can really correct them as well. You don't seem to hear that too much about wingers."
Addo-Carr conceded the leadership side of things had taken a while to build.
Match Highlights: Rabbitohs v Storm
"I think it's taken four or five years. I [used to be] a bit embarrassed to talk in front of the boys you hang around every day," he said.
"It just feels so comfortable being around the leaders we have here at the Melbourne Storm with Craig, Dale Finucane, Cam Smith last year, Billy Slater, all those boys are still part of the club.
"It's good to learn off those fellas and I know what it takes to win premierships, I know what it takes to be a consistent football player. I love helping people and if I can do that next year then happy days for me.
"It's one of the reasons I wanted to go to Canterbury. The biggest reason was to be in Sydney with my family but I know how to win premierships and what it takes to be a consistent footballer and if I can help my teammates be successful then happy days."
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