Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has ended months of speculation surrounding his future, confirming that he will continue as the club’s head coach next season.
The legendary coach’s future has been the subject of ongoing discussion in the rugby league world, with questions continuing to linger about how much longer he would remain in charge of the Storm.
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However, the premiership-winning coach has now revealed that he will indeed remain on as head coach for at least the 2027 season.
Despite confirming his immediate future, he admitted that next year could mark the end of his remarkable coaching career.
“I’ll be coaching next year, but I think that might be the end of it,” Bellamy said on Friday.
“Anyway, we’ll see what happens,” Bellamy said
The statement from Bellamy comes as he also addressed the future of star playmaker Cameron Munster, with the coach making it clear that he would support any decision that he makes on his long-term future.
The Queensland captain has been a key figure at the Storm for a number of years but has been linked with a move to the PNG Cheifs for their inaugural year in 2028.
“I’d love to (have him here) but in saying that as a I said with Nick (Meaney) and Wish [Tyran Wishart] if he thought there was another club or another way that he’d like to finish he career I’d back him up all the way,” Bellamy continued.
“He’s been super invested in our club the whole time he’s been here, and whatever he wants to do the last couple years of his career I’ll back it up.
“We have and it’s been a long one. We’ve seen ups and downs and ins and outs together and he’s been just a wonderful clubman.
“He’s been a wonderful player too, but as I said, the care he’s got for his teammates and the care he’s got for our club, I haven’t seen too many players with more care than Munny.”
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VICTIM OF MADGE FALLOUT SET FOR NEW GIG
Resigning from his post as the defence coach of the Brisbane Broncos earlier in the year, Ben Te’o is set to land a new coaching job for the 2027 season.
According to CODE Sports, Te’o is set to be interviewed by the South Sydney Rabbitohs next week in the strongest sign yet he will work under Wayne Bennett next season.
Currently living in Brisbane with his family, it is understood that the former Rabbitohs premiership-winning back-rower is open to relocating to Sydney.
The potential move to the Heffron-based side comes as he is being sounded out to join the Australian Kangaroos coaching staff with Kevin Walters for this year’s World Cup and worked under Billy Slater in the Origin arena for the Queensland Maroons.
“As a young coach, you have to take opportunities when they come up,” he told the publication.
“There’s only so many clubs in Queensland and the tough part of coaching is you have to be willing to move your family.
“I had a great Origin campaign with Queensland. I am watching a lot of games for Triple M (as a commentator) and the game is evolving all the time.
“I’m watching closely and would love to get back into the NRL.”
The new move comes after he resigned from the Broncos in March, following a heated verbal altercation and tactical disagreement with coach Michael Maguire.
It is understood that tensions boiled over between the pair during a team dinner with the frustrations growing after Te’o was blocked from allowing him join Slater’s coaching staff to assist with Queensland.
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CIRALDO’S BIG BULLDOGS CLAIM
The Bulldogs have already knocked off the ladder-leading Panthers and the red-hot Warriors, and coach Cameron Ciraldo says his side is back to playing like a top-four side ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster battle with the second-placed Roosters.
Canterbury’s season could have spiralled out of control after they lost five games in a row following their big win over Penrith, but they’ve won six of their past seven and enter the round in eighth spot.
They still have three huge games remaining, with a win over the Roosters at Allianz Stadium enough to make the top sides sit up and take notice.
“We’re really confident in our game and that we can go toe-to-toe with anyone on any given day,” Ciraldo said.
“You’ve got to do that consistently, and that’s what the teams in the top four have done and deserve to be there.
“Yes, there were some things at the start of the year that we didn’t get right, but over the last 10 weeks, we feel like we’re back to playing like a top-four team, and we feel like we’ve been pretty consistent through that time.
“That’s all we can ask for, and we’ve put ourselves in this situation.
“We’ve got an opportunity over the next five weeks to make sure we get it right and we put ourselves in finals contention, but that’s all next week.”
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Ciraldo praised his players and other leaders at the club for the belief they showed during the losing streak, while the return of a couple of key forwards and their improved defence have also been crucial in their turnaround.
The Bulldogs conceded the fewest points in the NRL last year and have returned to their best in recent weeks by holding opposition teams to 12 points or less in five of their past seven games.
“Last year we were the best defensive team across the course of a season, and I think in the last couple of months we’re starting to get back to our best in that regard,” Ciraldo said.
“We’ve got some young guys who are still learning as well, and they’ll just get better week on week, year on year, and that’s a really exciting thing for our club.”
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They’ll need to be at their defensive best against a Roosters side that scored 82 points against the Cowboys last week.
Even if fullback James Tedesco (ankle) doesn’t play, Ciraldo knows how lethal they can be given star winger Mark Nawaqanitawase scored the try of the year against the Bulldogs 12 months ago.
The Bulldogs had to watch replays of that try several times at last year’s Dally M Awards, but Ciraldo said he “loves” these challenges against the best teams.
“They’re a very good side, a very good attacking side with a lot of threats across the park, so we’ve been talking all week that we’ll need to be at our best defensively, and it’s a great challenge for us,” he said.
“This is what you’re involved in this sort of game for, is to be up against the best teams, and the Roosters have definitely shown all year they’re among the top teams and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
— Martin Gabor (NCA NewsWire)
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