This is footage of the man Craig Bellamy believes proves Brisbane fail to practise what they preach when it comes to the festering issue of wrestling.

In his days as a successful mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, Chris "The Hammer" Haseman's pinpoint blows and spinning roundhouse kicks usually spelled lights out for his opponents.

Now his expertise of how to man-handle a competitor on the ground are a key ingredient of Brisbane's ability to slow the man at the play-the-ball.

Once it was taboo to suggest wrestling and rugby league could enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. Now Broncos prop Joel Clinton says wrestling has become so much a part of the game, he can't see what all the fuss is about.

The issue of wrestling has flared so many times of late that you almost expect Randy Savage to save a try by jumping off the cross-bar and landing a flying elbow drop on the ball-runner.

The latest royal rumble centres on Storm coach Bellamy, who took aim at former mentor Wayne Bennett in his newspaper column in Melbourne.

The Storm's tackling technique is in the spotlight for the umpteenth time after the so-called "chicken wing" hold on Michael Ennis thrust yet another manoeuvre into the growing defensive vernacular.

Bennett spoke ill of wrestling after his side's loss to Melbourne last Friday night, saying in the post-game press conference that "you tackle people, you don't wrestle".

Bellamy fired back in print, accusing Ennis of a theatrical dive - a claim he strongly denies - and says the presence of former police defence trainer Haseman at Red Hill made Brisbane the pot to Melbourne's kettle.

"Chris Haseman ... is employed full-time. He is a martial arts expert. He is also the Broncos' wrestling coach," Bellamy wrote.

"I doubt Chris is showing their goalkickers how to kick or their halfback how to pass. I would imagine he is teaching them to wrestle."

Indeed Bellamy was part of the reason Haseman joined the Broncos in 1998, saying: "He was the Broncos wrestling coach when I was there ... and is very good at his craft."

Not so fast, say the Broncos, who bristle at any suggestion that Haseman is employed as a "wrestling coach".

"Chris is (performance director) Jeremy Hickmans' offsider, not our wrestling coach," said Brisbane chief executive Bruno Cullen.

"We all practise ways - and I'm not talking wrestling - ways of being dominant on the ground."

While the word games and hair splitting continue between the clubs, it takes a straight-shooting prop to charge through the rhetoric and deliver the finishing move to the argument.

Clinton, who moved north from the Panthers at the end of last season, said the wrestle was part of the modern game - full stop - and if club's weren't practising their ground work, they would be counted out.

"The wrestle is something every club in the NRL does. Different wrestling coaches have different techniques. We had a different wrestling coach at Penrith and there's a different one up here," Clinton said.

"Everyone has different aspects of it. I don't know what's right or wrong because I'm not a wrestler myself. I just get told what to do."

Clinton said the Storm are finest exponents of curtailing fast play-the-balls and other clubs were playing catch-up, with staff like Haseman vital to the cause.

"It's just something you've got to do. You've got to try and slow the play-the-ball down and that's something we get coached to do. It's part of the game and if you get left on the ground you get left behind," Clinton said.

While not endorsing Melbourne's controversial interpretations of ground techniques, Clinton said he doubted any NRL player would deliberately set out to injure a rival with a wrestling move.

"That's just something the media picks up. Blokes don't deliberately mean to hurt you. That's not what the game is.

"Wrestling's part of the game and you've got to do it. If you don't do it you get in trouble for it."

And that could mean a chair over the back of the head.