Craig Bellamy will coach the Melbourne Storm again next season after the club confirmed another one-year extension for their master mentor.
Bellamy has essentially been on a rolling contract for the past few years, with this being another extension of an agreement struck in May 2022; the 65-year-old wanted to avoid extending his stay too long.
He will now coach a 24th consecutive season at the Storm, having overseen 588 games, 21 finals series, five grand finals wins (two stripped) and six minor premierships while at the club.
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The news was confirmed on Thursday morning, ahead of a Friday game against the Cowboys at AAMI Park.
“I’ve always said that I will only keep coaching if the players, coaches and club believe that I still have something to offer,” Bellamy said in a Storm statement.
“As mentioned last season, my focus remains on developing our players and helping them learn and grow together as a team. Our squad is in a stable position and I’m looking forward to the improvement we can continue to make.
“I also want to ensure by making this decision that I’m not holding back any of our coaches, who continue to play a massive role in the improvement of this team. We have a great coaching group, who are very capable of stepping up and coaching at senior level.”
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Melbourne Storm Chairman, Matt Tripp, added: “Craig remains hugely committed to his role and continues to coach to a very high standard. We’re delighted that he will remain Head Coach in 2026 and have no doubt he will continue to drive our standards on and off the field.
“He leads an excellent group of coaches and performance staff, providing a great support base, and giving Craig the best opportunity to focus on his coaching and developing our players.
“We know Craig is as determined as ever to achieve further success, he has the energy and experience to drive Storm forward this season and build on our strong start to the year.”
Bellamy is a seven-time Dally M Coach of the Year and one of just four coaches in NRL history to surpass 550 games. He also has the most consecutive games coached for one club and will reach the 600 mark in Round 26, at home to the Roosters.
The only coaches to have reached 600 so far are Wayne Bennett (948*), Tim Sheens (693) and Brian Smith (601).
