NRL 2023: How Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy almost made Brisbane Broncos switch

Go inside the secret meeting on the Gold Coast where a heartfelt pitch and long-term contract offer almost landed the Broncos super coach Craig Bellamy.

Storm super coach Craig Bellamy has revealed how close he came to quitting Melbourne and signing a potential $10 million deal to rebuild the Broncos.

On the eve of Friday night’s Storm-Broncos finals blockbuster, Bellamy lifted the lid on Brisbane’s poaching raid in the club’s desperate attempt to land a marquee coach to snap their 17-year premiership drought.

Bogey man Bellamy will look to inflict a 15th consecutive loss on the Broncos in the qualifying final at Suncorp Stadium, but if Red Hill bosses had their way, the Melbourne mentor would have called Brisbane home.

It can be revealed Bellamy held a secret meeting on the Gold Coast in 2018 with former Brisbane CEO Paul White, who had started preliminary talks in his succession plan to replace Broncos foundation coach Wayne Bennett.

Loyalty has kept Craig Bellamy in the Storm system. Picture: NRL Photos

At the time, Bellamy was off-contract at Melbourne, and weighing up a three-year deal from the Storm to continue his remarkable southern dynasty in AFL heartland that began in 2003.

But, after three previous failed attempts, the Broncos were finally determined to get their man to succeed Bennett, to whom Bellamy was a rookie assistant at Brisbane in 1998.

Brisbane were so intent on winning a bidding war they were prepared to offer a five-year deal.

As the Storm coach vacillated, Brisbane upped the ante with a lifetime, 10-year contract, worth $1 million a season, to prise Bellamy out of Melbourne.

Incredibly, Bellamy rejected Brisbane’s big-money overtures, inking an extension with Melbourne, but ahead of the Storm-Broncos finals showdown, the 64-year-old concedes he nearly walked.

“I honestly did think about coaching the Broncos,” Bellamy said.

“I was very close at one stage to going.

“From memory, it was the most recent approach (in 2018).

“But ultimately I like the people at the Storm to be loyal and one thing I really value is loyalty.

The Broncos were looking for a succession plan for coach Wayne Bennett. Picture: AAP Image/Dave Hunt

“I have always had that mentality about appreciating the Storm for giving me my first opportunity as a head coach.

“I felt I owed them and I still owe them for what they did for me and my family.

“I saw a lot of Queensland blokes like Cam Smith and Billy Slater come down here and start their families at the Storm and I felt that connection to the place.

“That’s the main reason I stayed in Melbourne.”

Bellamy said his time under Bennett, during which Brisbane won two premierships in 1998 and 2000, triggered fond memories of the Broncos — and what he might be able to achieve at Red Hill as the head honcho.

“There’s no doubt the Broncos were a serious option,” Bellamy said.

“The five years I had at the Broncos with Wayne, I enjoyed that as much as anywhere I have ever been in rugby league.

“In fairness, I was only an assistant. I didn’t have that pressure and responsibility of being the head coach and sometimes that can wear you down.

“Because we aren’t the main sport down here (in Melbourne), you don’t come under the media spotlight like the Broncos do in Brisbane.

“That’s definitely another reason why I stayed here.

“My daughter lives in Queensland, so I will always have that connection with the state.

“I can’t remember the exact timing of the Broncos’ approaches. There’s been a couple over a long period now _ I think the last time was the most serious _ but I believe I made the right call staying at Melbourne.”

Ironically, Bellamy’s rejection of the Broncos proved a Sliding Doors moment for Kevin Walters, his coaching rival on Friday night.

After a couple of lean years, the Broncos are thriving under Kevin Walters. Picture: Liam Kidston

The pair’s friendship goes back 35 years to their playing days at the Raiders. And while Walters lost out to Anthony Seibold for the Broncos post in 2019, when Seibold was sacked a year later, it cleared the path for ‘Kevvie’ to ascend to the Brisbane hotseat once intended for Bellamy.

Now, Brisbane are flying under Walters and Bellamy praised the ‘Kev-olution’, saying the Broncos are a massive chance of winning this year’s premiership.

“I’m really pleased for Kevvie,” Bellamy said.

“The Broncos made some brave decisions and sensible decisions.

“They stuck with their young guys, they have a great crop of young guys coming through and they showed faith in their kids when at the end of last year they petered out and the year before they missed the finals.

“But Kevvie could see those kids were going to be really good first-graders with the potential to go higher than that.

“I admire Kevvie for sticking with those kids. They clearly had a plan, they kept faith in it and now they are getting their rewards.”

The Broncos and Storm have formed a fierce rivalry. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

The Storm haven’t lost to the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium since 2009, but Bellamy believes Walters has every reason to dream of delivering Brisbane’s seventh premiership.

“The Broncos and Penrith have been the best two teams and there’s no doubt they are a contender this season,” Bellamy said.

“They are a huge threat, without a doubt.

“They have beaten Penrith this year, so really the Broncos are the team to beat.

“The way the Broncos have gone about their business this year, they are in the box seat to win it and they could have easily won the minor premiership.

“They should be very happy with the year they’ve had, but the big test is playing well in September and that’s the challenge for them now.

“The Broncos are right in it.”