Supercoach Bellamy to stay with Storm until 2026

Supercoach Craig Bellamy will remain with the Melbourne Storm until at least the end of the 2026 NRL season.

The Storm confirmed the game’s worst-kept secret on Tuesday that Bellamy would be head coach in 2022, then have the option of remaining in the top job or moving into a director of coaching role.

Five more years ... Craig Bellamy will remain with the Storm until at least 2026.Credit:Getty

Club chairman Matt Tripp wanted the long-term commitment and was naturally delighted the game’s best coach will remain with the most successful club in the modern era.

Bellamy has Melbourne on top of the table and heavily favoured to win a fourth premiership on his watch.

“It’s a five-year coaching deal, and Craig will be head coach until he tells me he will morph into this new director of coaching role,” Tripp told the Herald.

“That role has not been defined yet, but he will always give me 12 months notice.

“Just before round one every year, Craig will say to me what his plan is for head coaching the following year. So in March next year, he will tell me what his plans are for 2023 and whether he remains the head coach.

“He’s certainly coaching next year.

“I wanted a long-term commitment. I didn’t want to go through this again in a year or two years time. To future-proof the club, and the little things he does with recruitment and retention - the one-percenters that help make the Storm what we are - he’s instrumental with all that, and I wanted to make sure we had him committed for the long term.

“He’s the backbone of the club and he’s the face of the club.

“Melbourne is a fickle town with sporting teams because there’s so much choice. We’re in AFL heartland. But if you follow the Storm, you know what you’ll get week in week out, and that’s because of Craig Bellamy.

“There’s not another club in the land in any code whose supporter base could say that. They get 100 per cent effort and consistency with the Storm because Craig has them trained to the minute.

“I’m really pleased it will roll on for the next five years.”

Bellamy was heavily pursued by Brisbane while Cronulla wanted him to oversee Craig Fitzgibbon in a director of coaching role.

“Of course there are fears when you’re up against the might of the Broncos, and Cronulla tabled something that sounded compelling,” Tripp said.

“I didn’t want to know the details of the other offers, I had to block that out, and I thought our offer would be good enough.

“Craig is unbelievably loyal, there’s a bit of nostalgia there getting to coach for a 20th year at the one club, the familiarity of the club and his staff.

“I also know he’s getting a huge kick out of the 0playing group and the enthusiasm they bring every week. It’s a different feel to what he’s been used to the last ten or 15 years with older and wiser heads assisting him - there was Cameron Smith and Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk before that.

“This is a different feel and different challenge and I get the feeling he’s enjoying his coaching as much as he ever has at the moment. And that’s reflected in the team’s performance every week.”

Bellamy, whose extension was first flagged by the Herald back in April, said: “There have been a lot of moving parts on and off the footy field, but it’s good to have finality on the decision.

“I will be the head coach next year and then I will sit down with the club at the end of each year and talk about what role I might play. At some time during this period, I will take on a different role in coaching and in the commercial area.

“This is my 19th year and there have been some wonderful times over that period. Having the comfort in the surroundings and knowing how the club works certainly helped in making my decision.”

Christian Nicolussi covers rugby league for The Sydney Morning Herald.

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