Why Craig Bellamy is one of the greatest coaches in rugby league history
WHAT makes Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy one of the best mentors in rugby league history? We have 47 reasons for you right here.
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THERE is a well-worn dictum that the best rugby league teams invariably reflect the idiosyncrasies of their coach.
If that is the case, Melbourne and Craig Bellamy are a match made in heaven.
Determined. Ruthless. Detailed. Methodical. Systematic. Unrelenting. These are the descriptions that not only underpin Melbourne’s remarkable success but essentially define Bellamy, the Storm coach who tastes his sixth grand final against Cronulla on Sunday.
The son of a cement worker, Bellamy has never forgotten the day his father Norm was tragically killed in a work accident.
Bellamy was a rookie Raider supplementing his meagre footballing wage by working at Queanbeyan Leagues Club. He was called to the phone. The news destroyed him. He was 23.
More than three decades later, the work ethic, grit and graft that coursed through Norm Bellamy now resides in his boy, who has forged a glowing reputation as a maker of men.
Since joining Melbourne in 2003, Bellamy has produced a staggering 47 representative players.
Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater, Israel Folau, Jesse Bromwich, Adam Blair and Gareth Widdop are among the young guns Bellamy helped turn into blue-chip Origin and Test stars.
While some, such as Smith and Slater, could have starred anywhere, few would argue Bellamy is the master of finding and refining talent. Invariably, he extracts more than the sum of an individual’s parts.
“Craig is the best I’ve seen at getting players to maximise their potential,” says former Test captain Darren Lockyer, who first met Bellamy in 1998 during his time as an assistant to Wayne Bennett at the Broncos.
“Every player that goes to Melbourne, they improve and are disciplined.
“Craig was great at the Broncos. I remember his high level of details. He didn’t like any shortcuts. Quite often he would walk out to training with a foolscap paper tucked into his shorts.
“Every now and then, he would open it up and look at game plans he had analysed, then we had to practise it.
“Melbourne’s success is no fluke. They are a product of Craig Bellamy and what he stands for. You could argue Cam, Cooper and Billy were always going to be good NRL players ... but I truly believe with Craig’s influence, they have become great players.”
When he arrived for his first pre-season in 2002, Bellamy laid a cultural marker by embarking on long-distance runs with Storm players. The coach would beat them home.
A fitness fanatic, Bellamy, who turns 57 the day after Sunday’s grand final, jokes his knees and calves can no longer handle long runs. Instead, he keeps his mind sharp. Almost every off-season, he undertakes overseas study trips, forensically searching for cutting-edge methods in the billion dollar sphere of American football clubs.
“No one works harder than Craig,” says former Storm CEO Brian Waldron, who was Bellamy’s boss for five years between 2005-10.
“He was always very determined and committed to his role.
“When he came to Melbourne he made huge sacrifices from a family point of view and he’s a working-class man who didn’t come from a lot.
“He lost his dad as a young man so he had that toughness of character. He’s a very proud man.
“One of the arts of being good at his craft is that Craig is a great learner. He’s been smart enough to listen to some input from AFL coaches such as Alastair Clarkson and Nathan Buckley and they’ve also learnt from him.”
Some coaches lose dressingrooms with their abrasive style but Bellamy’s tough love is embedded in Melbourne’s DNA. Storm players know the score — step up or ship out.
Last year, when Storm young gun Cameron Munster was displaying the youthful brashness of a 21 year old, Bellamy hauled him into his office. Munster left with searing clarity on the attitude required to succeed at the Storm.
“I’ve never had a coach who is so worried about the boys and their life outside of football,” Munster says.
“He has been tough on me but he is always there if you want to talk to him. He cares. That’s why guys respect him.
“When football is on, his head is on and when you cop a spray, you know it’s for a reason. But if you ever want someone to talk, Craig is always there for you.”
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Storm skipper Cameron Smith says Melbourne running out in the decider on Sunday can be traced to pre-season ... and the Bellamy influence.
“We did a lot more running, trained harder,” he says. “Craig spoke to us at the end of last year after we bowed out of the competition. He said we were inconsistent and that was a reflection of the lack of mental toughness in our squad.
“We went old school in the way we approached this pre-season. Where we are now is a reward for the hard work we put in.
“Craig has chilled out over the years. It’s not his way all the time. He asks players for their opinions on training, our set-up and structures. He has always had a level of care for his players, although he didn’t show it too much early on.
“For all the accolades he receives he is always striving to improve the place. He wants everyone to be the best they can be ... Craig never wants Melbourne to be run of the mill.”
BELLAMY’S 47
NSW, QLD AND AUSTRALIA: Matt King, Greg Inglis, Cameron Smith, Antonio Kaufusi, Michael Crocker, Cooper Cronk, Israel Folau, Dallas Johnson, Ryan Hoffman, Billy Slater, Brett White, Will Chambers, Dane Nielsen, Anthony Quinn, Steve Turner.
ENGLAND: Gareth Widdop.
FIJI: Sisa Waqa, Marika Koroibete, Ben Nakubuwai, Tui Kamikamica.
NEW ZEALAND: David Kidwell, Alex Chan, Jake Webster, Adam Blair, Jeremy Smith, Jeff Lima, Sika Manu, Matt Duffie, Jesse Bromwich, Kevin Proctor, Tohu Harris, Kenny Bromwich.
SAMOA: Smith Samau, Jeff Lima, Willie Isa, Junior Sa’u, Junior Moors, Young Tonumaipea, Ben Roberts.
PNG: Jon Wilshere.
CITY ORIGIN: Beau Champion.
COUNTRY ORIGIN: Clint Newton, Ben Cross, Ryan Hinchcliffe, Dale Finucane, Jordan McLean
Total: 47
Originally published as Why Craig Bellamy is one of the greatest coaches in rugby league history
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