Craig Bellamy reveals tragic phone call that rocked him to his core

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has opened up about the heartbreaking phone call that changed his life forever.

Craig Bellamy has credited his late father’s advice for making him into the coach and man he is today as he opened up about the moment he found out his dad, aged 51, had suddenly passed away.

“I lost my dad reasonably early he got killed in an accident at work,” Bellamy recalls in the new Stan documentary ‘Revealed: Craig Bellamy – Inside the Storm’.

“I remember I was in Canberra at the time I was working at the leagues club and there was a call over the microphone, ‘Craig Bellamy there is a call for you’.

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“And when I came to the phone it was Donny Seymour, mum and dad’s next door neighbour, and he said ‘Are you standing up?’ and I said ‘Yeah’ and he said, ‘Well sit down’.

“I sort of picked up something was wrong and then he said dad had been killed.

“And yeah it was tough without a doubt. My kids never got to meet him and he was really special father and I know how hard it was for mum too.”

Bellamy’s father Norm was crushed in a quarry at the age of 51.

Watch Craig Bellamy open up about the heartbreaking moment he found out his dad passed away in the video above.

Craig Bellamy opened up about the death of his father. Image: Stan/Getty

And there is one message from his father that has always stuck with him, work hard and good luck will come.

“Dad always said hard workers get lucky,” Bellamy said.

“He said sometimes you don’t get as lucky as quickly as you would like but if you keep working hard you’ll get lucky.

“They were really special people my mum and dad and I was so lucky to be in that family.”

Craig Bellamy is regarded as one of the best coach’s in Australian sporting history. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

So from the moment he took over Melbourne Bellamy told news.com.au that he wanted to build a family club, that had great values and was full of players and staff willing to work hard, to achieve the ultimate goal, NRL premiership success.

“We want people in our organisation whether that be players, physios or whatever we want people that care and care about what we are about as a club, care about footy and their teammates,” Bellamy told news.com.au.

“The big thing for me is care. But sometimes it is hard to pick if they have it or haven’t got it and that’s why you do your homework.

“The main thing I like doing is sitting down and talking to a player who we are looking to bring into the club and talk to them and I think I can get a good handle on if they will fit into our club and our culture.

“That’s the biggest one for me and I will trust my gut after I talk to them.”

The family message is one still felt at the Storm today, where Bellamy’s son Aaron is an assistant coach and one of the contenders to take over from his father as head coach.

Aaron Bellamy (left) is one of three assistant coaches under Craig Bellamy at the Storm and may be handed the head coaching job when his father retires. Photo: Michael Klein

“I don’t think I’ll see it coming but I’m sure something will tell me it’s time,” Bellamy told news.com.au of when he plans to call time on his coaching career.

“I don’t know what that will be but at the same time it is getting closer I’d imagine.”

But when that time comes Bellamy hopes either his son Aaron or fellow assistant coaches Marc Brentnall or Ryan Hinchcliffe are the ones to take over from him.

“I think any of our three assistant coaches, Aaron, Marc Brentnall and Ryan (Hinchcliffe), I think they’re all capable of being first-grade coaches in the future and I’d love to see Aaron do that of course.

“But I’d also love to see Marc and Hinch get a go to whether that is taking over from me or at another club.“They’re all very capable coaches and more importantly good people.”

Revealed – Craig Bellamy: Inside the Storm not only pulls back the curtain on his coaching secrets, but also on his guarded personal life, showcasing a man who belies the tough coaching persona fans are familiar with, and shares the challenges he overcame to get to where he is today.

Originally published as Craig Bellamy reveals tragic phone call that rocked him to his core