Craig Bellamy has confirmed he will coach the Melbourne Storm in 2027, in what is expected to be his final season with the NRL club. The legendary coach also revealed he would support Cameron Munster if the star five-eighth chose to finish his career elsewhere.
Bellamy's Health and Commitment
Bellamy's future had been uncertain since he disclosed in April that he had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder. Despite being contracted until the end of 2028, there were fears he might step down at the end of this season to focus on his family and health.
However, the 66-year-old, who has led the Storm to five premierships (two later stripped due to salary cap breaches), confirmed in Perth on Thursday that he plans to coach for a 25th season. "I'll be coaching next year, but I think that might be the end," Bellamy said ahead of Saturday's clash with Manly at HBF Park. "But anyway, we'll see what happens."
Storm's Struggles and Munster's Future
Melbourne (8-12) sit in 12th spot and, barring a mathematical miracle, will miss the finals for the first time since 2010. They received a boost this week when Munster was cleared to face Manly after recovering from knee surgery.
The Queensland captain is contracted to the Storm until the end of 2027, but his future beyond that remains uncertain. The 31-year-old has said he will stay in Melbourne if Bellamy remains, but with his mentor set to depart at the end of next year, Munster may explore options elsewhere, with expansion club PNG a tempting prospect due to tax-free salaries.
Bellamy said he would "love" Munster to stay, but would back him if he left. "If he thought there was another club or another way that he'd like to finish his career, I'd back him up all the way," Bellamy said. "He's been super invested in our club the whole time he's been here, and whatever he wants to do in the last couple of years of his career, I'll back it up."
Injury Woes and Finals Hopes
Munster wasn't expected to return until next week, but made a special effort to come back sooner to help the under-manned side. Last week, Bellamy expressed frustration after a 36-22 loss to the Bulldogs all but ended their finals hopes.
That frustration remained on Friday. "It's been tough, I won't bullshit there," Bellamy said. "We've had a few injuries, but there's a lot of other clubs that had that as well. At the end of the day, we're just not where we would have liked to have been."
Manly (9-10) are still in the finals hunt, needing a strong finish to secure a top-eight spot, but they will be without Kobe Hetherington (pectoral tear) for the rest of the season.
