Craig Bellamy faces Adam O’Brien for first time as NRL coaches as Storm face Knights in Gosford
Adam O’Brien is making quite a noise early as an NRL coach at Newcastle, which is no surprise to Melbourne Storm after what they saw in his 11-year apprenticeship to Craig Bellamy.
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Melbourne football manager Frank Ponissi will never forget the day he had two Craig Bellamy’s in the Storm coaching box.
Bellamy is widely regarded as the most animated, at times angry, coach in the NRL, but on this occasion in 2017, he was joined by his equal in then senior assistant coach Adam O’Brien.
“Adam really wore his heart on his sleeve at the Storm,” Ponissi said.
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“He was really passionate and sometimes that passion spilt over.
“Only problem is Craig is also like that, so we really couldn’t have two coaches with a similar temperament otherwise the box was going to explode.”
Ponissi knew something had to change, but it was O’Brien who had the awareness and initiative to approach the club about altering his passion in the coach’s box alongside Bellamy.
“Credit to Adam, he acknowledged that, and he developed some composure and calmness,” Ponissi said.
“I remember the first couple of games with Craig and Adam being in the box together and sitting on the sideline with the headphones on and thinking, ‘bloody hell, what is going on in that box?’
“But Adam deserves praise because he became the calmer one to make him and Craig the ideal match.
“That highlights Adam’s ability to read people and the moment.”
O’Brien spent 11 seasons at Melbourne in various roles from an Under 20s assistant, a development coach and the team’s on-field runner.
He also had four seasons as an NRL assistant working alongside the man affectionately known as ‘Bellyache’.
On Saturday night at Gosford, O’Brien will face Bellamy for the first time as an NRL coach when his Newcastle Knights take on the Storm.
Ponissi is looking forward to watching two former Melbourne mentors and mates clash on the first-grade stage.
He is particularly pleased to see O’Brien’s hard work and commitment pay off with a strong start to the season at the undefeated Knights.
“But it has been no surprise to see him rise to the NRL ranks and have success,” he said.
“Adam left a wonderful legacy here. 11 years is a long time. I’m a big believer that it is not just how long you spend at a place; it is what you pack into your time there.
“Adam had a great contribution, in terms of the roles that he played.”
O’Brien joined the Storm in 2007 as an assistant to Brad Arthur in the 20s for two years before working alongside Dean Pay for a further two.
He then moved into a development coach role, helping to mould some of Melbourne’s finest rising talent at the time like the Bromwich brothers, Cameron Munster and current Knight, Tim Glasby.
Ponissi believes this period at the Storm highlighted O’Brien’s impressive ability to make gifted footballers’ better players and people.
“The players he helped develop here at Melbourne is a list as long as your arm,” he said.
“It was a great apprenticeship for Adam, but he also put a lot into the role, and he was deeply passionate and did a lot for those young players.
“He had six years with us where his role was to develop players.
“It wasn’t about winning games – it was purely to develop players and now we are seeing why he is succeeding as an NRL coach.”
Originally published as Craig Bellamy faces Adam O’Brien for first time as NRL coaches as Storm face Knights in Gosford