Craig Bellamy refuses to confirm his future at Melbourne Storm
Under his watch, Melbourne Storm have become a destructively consistent NRL powerhouse — but Craig Bellamy’s future with the club is far from certain.
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Supercoach Craig Bellamy is no sure thing to see out his contract at Melbourne Storm.
We caught up at the Dally Ms on Wednesday night and the two-time premiership-winning coach revealed he was unsure about his long-term future.
Bellamy has been in charge at Melbourne Storm for 17 seasons, since 2003, and has missed the semi-finals only once — the year they lost their competition points in the salary cap scandal.
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He insists he won’t be around for as long as Wayne Bennett, who is 10 years older at 69.
“It’s getting harder,” he said. “At this stage, I’m not sure I’ll go on beyond next year. Who knows how I’ll feel then but, at the moment, I couldn’t guarantee I’ll keep going.”
Bellamy is under contract at Storm for another two seasons.
He knocked back an opportunity last year to replace Bennett at Brisbane Broncos.
Bellamy’s reluctance to fully commit beyond 2020 is a concern for Storm, added to the speculation champion skipper Cameron Smith may not play next season.
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Losing both would be an enormous blow to the leadership of the club. Cameron Munster would step in as captain but it is impossible to replace both Bellamy and Smith if they depart at the same time.
Storm are obviously hurting after winning the minor premiership so convincingly yet being bounced out of the competition with hard-to-take losses to the Raiders and Roosters.
Officials are hoping the off-season break will revitalise both their leaders.
Originally published as Craig Bellamy refuses to confirm his future at Melbourne Storm