Source: Radio New Zealand
Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has his temperature checked, during the Covid-19 era. CREDIT: Photosport. PHOTOSPORT
NRL club the Melbourne Storm have revealed head coach Craig Bellamy has been diagnosed with a form of neurodegenerative disorder.
In a statement on its website, the Storm said Bellamy had been undergoing a series of tests in recent week and receiving the best possible medical treatment.
But specialists had advised his diagnosis would not have an impact on his ability to coach the team in the immediate future.
“Despite our recent results, I firmly believe Craig is still coaching at an elite level and I have no doubt he is the right person to drive the Club forward,” said chairman Matt Tripp.
“Craig has the full support of the board, players, coaches, and staff to continue leading the club as he has done for the last 24 seasons.”
Bellamy, 66. had been the coach of the Storm since 2003, winning premierships in 2012, 2017 and 2020.
He had an outstanding record, winning 424 of the 614 games (69 percent) that he had been in charge of the team.
But 2026 has been an uncharacteristically poor one for the Storm so far. They have lost their last six games in a row, some by big margins, and currently sit second-to-last on the ladder.
They last missed the NRL playoffs in 2010, the year they were stripped of all their competition points due to salary cap breaches.
The Storm said given the private nature of the diagnosis, Bellamy and the club would be making no further comment on the matter.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
