Craig Bellamy will coach the Melbourne Storm in 2027—but the rugby league icon has admitted it could be his final season.
Despite being contracted until the end of 2028, Bellamy has confirmed he will continue for at least one more year before reassessing his future.
“I’ll be coaching next year, but yeah, I think that might be the end,” Bellamy told reporters in Perth, according to News Corp’s original report.
“Anyway, we’ll see what happens.”
The decision means Bellamy is set to enter his 25th consecutive season in charge of the Storm, extending one of the most remarkable coaching tenures in Australian sport.
Bellamy taking future year by year
Bellamy signed an extension in February that tied him to Melbourne through the 2028 season, but the 66-year-old is now approaching his future on a year-by-year basis.
His comments follow the Storm’s announcement in April that Bellamy had been diagnosed with a form of neurodegenerative disorder.
The club said specialists had advised that the diagnosis would not affect his ability to coach in the immediate future. Melbourne has otherwise respected Bellamy’s privacy and has not disclosed further details.
Bellamy has coached the Storm since 2003 and surpassed 600 premiership matches in charge during the 2025 season. He has led Melbourne to five grand final victories, although the club was stripped of its 2007 and 2009 premierships for salary-cap breaches.
He has also guided the Storm to six minor premierships and been named Dally M Coach of the Year a record seven times.
The Sporting Base previously covered Bellamy’s decision to extend his record-breaking Storm tenure and the club’s public backing of its coach during its difficult 2026 campaign.
Bellamy decision could shape Munster’s future
Bellamy’s confirmation could also have major consequences for Cameron Munster.
The Queensland captain has been given permission to speak with the Papua New Guinea Chiefs, who are scheduled to enter the NRL in 2028.
Munster has publicly linked his own future to Bellamy’s plans, having spent his entire first-grade career playing under the veteran coach.
Bellamy said the pair had developed a close relationship during Munster’s long career in Melbourne.
“We’ve seen ups and downs, ins and outs, and whatever together,” Bellamy said.
“He’s been just a wonderful clubman, he’s been a wonderful player, too.
“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 what Mun has for the Storm.”
Munster has been part of Melbourne’s NRL squad since 2014. His loyalty to the club has previously been clear, with the five-eighth declaring that the Storm would have to “push me out in a wheelchair” before he considered leaving.
Bellamy’s decision removes one immediate source of uncertainty, but it does not settle what will happen beyond 2027.
If next season is his last, Melbourne will face the enormous task of replacing the only senior coach the club has employed since the end of 2002.
Billy Slater has previously been linked with the eventual vacancy, particularly after deciding not to sign a new formal contract as Queensland coach. However, no succession plan has been officially announced.
For now, Bellamy remains committed to lifting a Storm side sitting outside the finals positions after an uncharacteristically difficult campaign.
“We still want to try and finish the season on an upward note,” he said.
“As long as we keep preparing well and training well, it gives us a chance to do that.”
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