Craig Bellamy future: Family situation delays three-way battle for super coach, but Sharks have back-up plan if they miss out

The Storm, Sharks and Broncos all want Craig Bellamy at their club – but which of them is closest to landing him? Phil Rothfield reports.

Craig Bellamy dropped the bombshell in a phone conversation late on Friday afternoon.

Your columnist rang the super coach to check on the negotiations with the Brisbane Broncos and Melbourne Storm – the bitter rivals fighting for his services for next year and beyond.

This is a serious multi-million-dollar tug of war between two financial heavyweights in what was apparently just a two-horse race.

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He says he hasn’t given it a lot of thought because of an illness in his family.

“The clubs have been good and understanding,” Bellamy says. “They’ve all been real good and that’s why I haven’t yet ruled out anything.”

Craig Bellamy has a tough decision to make on his future.

Bellamy never gives a lot away but doesn’t tell lies.

So when the conversation turned to other options, he was as upfront as always.

Without naming the Cronulla Sharks he revealed there was a Sydney-based club that he has been talking to on the quiet for more than six months.

Further enquiries, after the phone call, revealed it was Cronulla.

The Storm insisted it wasn’t a shock to them.

EXCLUSIVE: Sharks’ bid for Bellamy

Their chairman Matt Tripp told me: “Nothing’s changed … we knew he was speaking to the Broncos and some guys in Sydney. That’s his prerogative.

“I haven’t pushed him in any way shape or form and I won’t (because of the family illness.) We hope he stays in Melbourne but we’ll be fully supportive of any decision he makes.”

Storm coach Craig Bellamy has Gatorade poured over him after winning the 2020 NRL grand final.

Those closest to Bellamy insist it is now a genuine three-horse race.

It’s often spoken about him wanting to be based in Queensland in the twilight of his career to be closer to where his daughter lives.

Yet he’s got a son Aaron and three grandkids he adores in Melbourne.

To add more intrigue, he’s always said the Sydney rat race was something he didn’t fancy.

The Storm surely can’t remain so patient for much longer.

They found Ryan Papenhuyzen to replace Billy Slater, Jahrome Hughes for Cooper Cronk and Harry Grant for Cameron Smith.

Bellyache is a different story.

Storm head coach Craig Bellamy during pre-season training in Geelong.

If anyone in rugby league is irreplaceable it is the man who has built the most consistently successful franchise in all of Australian sport over the last two decades.

Sure, they will still have the best football manager in the business in Frank Ponissi, who will ensure the systems remain in place that turned Storm into such a rugby league powerhouse.

They need to plan for the future and find another coach if the great man is to leave.

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For the Cronulla Sharks this is a huge story.

An opportunity to show the game they can punch above their weight and match any premiership rival.

They see Bellamy as much more than a great footy coach but a colossal figure in the game who will pay for himself by attracting huge corporate support.

He will also be the magnet for great players.

See below a statement from CEO Dino Mezzatesta in response to media reports relating to the Cronulla Sharks and Craig Bellamy#UpUp pic.twitter.com/nY4TuIN9uz

— Cronulla Sharks (@Cronulla_Sharks) February 13, 2021

The truth is the Sharks don’t know what to do about John Morris.

They’ve been sitting back watching the almost daily speculation around Cameron Ciraldo, Shane Flanagan and Craig Fitzgibbon.

They didn’t mind because it helped them keep the Bellamy story out of papers.

Morris has now become an issue that needs to be addressed.

There is the threat of a backlash from fans because he has done a good job to make the finals for the last two years with just an okay roster. He is popular in the Shire.

This is why they are now talking about extending him for another year and going into a holding pattern waiting for Bellamy’s arrival.

It would allow Bellamy to come in, look over the football club structure, and then make a decision on the coach.

Towards the end of our phone call Bellamy gets edgy. He hates being pressed on his plans.

I turn the subject to Cameron Smith.

“We spoke last week,” he reveals. “It’s a big decision for him when you look at what Tom Brady did the other day. He’s in a pretty good head space but didn’t give too much away.”

A bit like the super coach himself.