While Craig Bellamy is preparing to coach Melbourne in a 10th NRL grand final, assistant coach and son Aaron doesn’t think it will be his last.
Now in his 22nd season at the Storm, the 65-year-old Bellamy threatens annually it will be his final season as head coach, even this week flagging he won’t be coaching as a 70-year-old.
But Aaron doesn’t see his father walking away any time soon.
“I can’t imagine him doing anything else – he loves footy,” the 38-year-old told AAP, ahead of Sunday’s showpiece against Penrith.
“I don’t talk to him about it as it’s his decision to make but he still has so much passion for it, I can’t see him retiring anytime soon because he’d be bored.”
Frank Ponissi, the club’s football manager, has been Bellamy’s right-hand man for 15 years and hasn’t seen his drive diminish over his time at the top.
Bellamy won the Dally M coach of the year for the seventh time this week, has taken the team to 21 finals, with 2010’s salary cap punishment the only miss, while his NRL winning percentage sits at 70.
Of the current NRL coaches, Wayne Bennett has won seven premierships from 10 grand finals in 26 years, but hasn’t had the consistent success of reaching finals, with a winning percentage of 61.
“He’s so driven to be successful,” Ponissi said of Bellamy.
“He’s got great work ethic and has got a great connection with the players and you can rattle off a long list of coaching qualities, but I think that even though he’s been coaching for 22 years with sustained success, he just hasn’t lost his desire and his energy to be successful.
“Every week, every game, he’s not dropped off that intensity whatsoever, so I think that would have to be his greatest strength.”
Bellamy described himself this week as a “boring prick” and his son couldn’t help but agree, saying his father was all about routine.
Away from rugby league, Bellamy likes his daily gym sessions, television comedy series Seinfeld, a bit of Jimmy Barnes and enjoys his family – namely his four grandkids.
“He’s really great with his grandkids and win or lose it doesn’t matter after a game when he sees them, he lights up,” Aaron said.
“The boys used to try to get me to bring my oldest daughter Billie to review sessions – they called her the ‘tranquiliser’.”
Bellamy is famous for his coaching box blow-ups but Aaron, who has been an official assistant coach since 2016 but involved in the Storm set-up for much longer, said that was just a snapshot of his dad.
“He rides every moment of every match but he’s able to walk up the back of the box, headbutt the wall or whatever, but then that’s over and he’s able to refocus on what’s the team need next.
“It’s not who he is away from the game.”
While Bellamy doesn’t mind giving some “honest feedback” to players when required, Aaron said his dad’s coaching longevity was due to his ability to evolve to learn how to get the best out of the current generation.
“Back in the early days players like Cameron Smith didn’t need praise, they just wanted to hear how they could get better, but you need to treat players these days differently.
“They want to be told they are doing well and if you are going to criticise something there’s a way to go about it, but Craig understands this.”
Aaron, Marc Brentnall and former Storm player Ryan Hinchcliffe are all assistant coaches under Bellamy, and the trio share a tight bond both in and away from Storm headquarters.
Ponissi said Bellamy was no “one-man band”.
“One thing that does not get the credit that deserved is the people around him – he’s got a wonderful coaching staff that have been with him for a long time,” he said.
“Craig allows people to do their job and he’s certainly not a one-man band, that’s for sure, he gives people trust to do their job, and he backs them and makes them accountable as well.”
The Storm have no firm succession plan in place for when Bellamy finally does call time and were unable to keep assistant coaches like Jason Ryles, who will steer Parramatta next season.
But Craig may not be the last Bellamy at the Melbourne helm, with Aaron eyeing a head coach role in the future.
“Of course I would like to be a head coach but not any time soon,” he said.
“I’m still learning a lot about the game, from Craig, from other coaches at the Storm so I’m not ready for that just yet.”
