If Craig Bellamy and Storm powerbrokers want the club to enjoy long-term success, their master coach needs to walk \u2014 now.<\/p>\n
Bellamy is set to make a decision in the coming weeks regarding his coaching future, with his current contract with Melbourne coming to a conclusion at the end of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n
While Josh Hannay will take over at the Titans in 2026, there\u2019s a clause in his deal that could allow Bellamy to take over in 2027 \u2014 and he\u2019s said to be seriously considering his options.<\/p>\n
Watch the 2025 Rugby League Ashes LIVE with no ad-breaks in play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n WHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s some food for thought. Would the Storm be better off if he set sail right now and set up shop on the Gold Coast for 2026?<\/p>\n Too bad Hannay, the Titans would take a coach of Bellamy\u2019s calibre with open arms. You signed your contract, and made your own bed.<\/p>\n But for the Storm, there\u2019s a very real possibility that, once Bellamy\u2019s contract runs out, whoever their new coach is facing a very difficult situation. <\/p>\n A new coach could land in 2027, and face a large player turnover in the roster which could include some of the club\u2019s biggest stars finishing up.<\/p>\n Or, alternatively, the club\u2019s new mentor could be given two years with a team that\u2019s settled and primed to win a premiership in 2026 and 2027.<\/p>\n Transitioning to NRL head coaching is hard, for anyone, and following someone of Craig Bellamy\u2019s stature? It makes it all the more daunting.<\/p>\n So two years with an elite squad for a new coach to find their groove? It makes sense.<\/p>\n Should Bellamy walk away in 2026?Source: The Courier-Mail<\/p>\n Let\u2019s break down the timeline.<\/p>\n As it stands, Bellamy will end what is by that time a 24-year tenure at the Storm in 2026.<\/p>\n Cameron Munster\u2019s contract runs out at the end of 2027, and while he will see out his current deal, it remains to be seen where he signs his final NRL deal.<\/p>\n The Storm have also lost their heir to the throne in Jonah Pezet now, but more on Pezet later.<\/p>\n Superstar fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen\u2019s future is also up in the air, with it being widely reported he has been earmarked as a marquee recruit for the rebel rugby R360 competition.<\/p>\n Harry Grant\u2019s future is not currently settled, although it\u2019s unlikely he departs, while Eli Katoa, Stefano Utoikamanu and Xavier Coates\u2019 contracts all end in 2027.<\/p>\n With Bellamy departing, a new mentor will take over for 2027, but as aforementioned, faces the prospect of a host of big-name players departing.<\/p>\n Especially with two new teams, the Perth Bears and PNG, armed with a war chest to target and lure players across to their squads.<\/p>\n So by giving the new mentor two years, they can dig their claws into the club \u2014 and squad \u2014 and make the big roster decisions, instead of them being made for them.<\/p>\n MORE RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS<\/p>\n PhD prop, fishing icon, property mogul \u2014 Where iconic Ashes winners are now<\/a><\/p>\n Broncos\u2019 trial to Test stunner; who joins Souths\u2019 $2m disaster \u2014 Boom and bust signings<\/a><\/p>\n Forgotten masterstroke in historic Pezet deal \u2014 Crawls<\/a><\/p>\n Bellamy walks away and rebuilds the Titans, while a new mentor is given the time and space to find their feet.<\/p>\n 24 months to plan for the future, earmark Munster\u2019s halves replacement and go about re-signing and recruiting for the long haul.<\/p>\n The whole landscape of a club can change in an instant in rugby league, and decisions need to be made fast decisively.<\/p>\n As for who takes over, that\u2019s not my decision to make. But there\u2019s an obvious choice as for who could take over in Billy Slater.<\/p>\n The Storm legend is signed until the end of the 2026 season with Queensland, but he is easily the leading contender to be handed the Melbourne job.<\/p>\n That move could be fast-tracked.<\/p>\n Foz returns to Manly as Assistant Coach | 00:31<\/p>\n WHY THE BRONCOS MUST MAKE A BOLD REYNOLDS CALL<\/p>\n As for Pezet\u2019s switch, I find it difficult to understand the Broncos position.<\/p>\n If I was one of Brisbane\u2019s decision makers, once again, I\u2019d be making a tough call regarding the club\u2019s veteran halfback.<\/p>\n Adam Reynolds, thanks for your service, you helped break our premiership drought \u2014 but you aren\u2019t required moving forward in a playing capacity.<\/p>\n Instead, you will coach Pezet as the Broncos enter a new era, allowing the club to welcome the young gun into their ranks in 2026.<\/p>\n It\u2019s brutal, yes, but he managed only 22 games this year, including two finals appearances.<\/p>\n He suffered consistent hamstring niggles, so much so he couldn\u2019t even finish the grand final, sitting alongside Ben Hunt on the sidelines when the hooter sounded.<\/p>\n Yes, he helped them win a premiership, but Brisbane will be just as well-equipped to win one in 2026.<\/p>\n Should the Broncos part ways with Adam Reynolds?Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n If you have Reece Walsh, Pat Carrigan, Payne Haas, Kotoni Staggs and Ezra Mam in your team, you will compete.<\/p>\n Consider too that Walsh, Mam and Pezet will all be 23 going into the first round of the 2026 season \u2014 meaning they could theoretically play eight or more years of football together in their respective primes.<\/p>\n Throw in the mix one of rugby league\u2019s most highly-touted hookers in Blake Mozer, who is only 21, and you have a complete spine.<\/p>\n That is a scary thought.<\/p>\n He has already agreed to move into a coaching role in 2027, but who better to coach than the club\u2019s future long-term No.7?<\/p>\n Get it fast-tracked, just like the Storm should with their Bellamy call.<\/p>\n As for Pezet, I\u2019d be looking elsewhere in 2026<\/p>\n With only a one-year stint, would a club set to compete for a title not be the best option, like the Raiders who were interested?<\/p>\n WHY A ONE-YEAR EELS VISA SHOULD BE REVOKED<\/p>\n The Eels, meanwhile, why are you allowing a player to use you as a speed bump ahead of their bigger ambitions?<\/p>\n Pezet strengthens your spine, yes.<\/p>\n Jason Ryles has a prior relationship with the young gun, yes.<\/p>\n But why not develop the players who will take your club forward long term?<\/p>\n There\u2019s an argument those players the club consider the long-term prospects aren\u2019t ready, and that\u2019s fine, but you have Joash Papali\u2019i and Dean Hawkins sitting their ready to go.<\/p>\n Foz returns to Manly as Assistant Coach | 00:31<\/p>\n This season, when Dylan Brown signed with the Knights, the Eels said they wanted to focus on developing the players they had for the future.<\/p>\n That meant Brown didn\u2019t play. But now they sign Pezet for one year and they focus on the now? Doesn\u2019t make much sense to me.<\/p>\n Let Hawkins and Papalii hold that spot and prove themselves as a back-up, because depth in the halves has never been more crucial in the NRL.<\/p>\n Especially when your No.7, Mitchell Moses, is consistently sidelined due to injury and is also an Origin representative.<\/p>\n You need players who can step up when called upon, not a tourist with a one-year visa, ready to settle down in sunny Brisbane.<\/p>\n Then one of the prospects can take up their No.6 jersey in 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If Craig Bellamy and Storm powerbrokers want the club to enjoy long-term success, their master coach needs to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[18743,15901,141296,64,63,689,21686,4551,651,4428,4567,25297,141303,8089,15912,21683,52627,2485,5330,15893,141297,4556,27285,18387,3194,4484,141302,4601,124390,46392,4466,22326,761,762,1736,158,677,141298,9112,141300,26598,13390,140192,141295,99733,140195,701,53253,13391,141299,159,130928,44329,141301,85,35880,9020],"class_list":["post-235725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-adam-reynolds","tag-alex-mckinnon","tag-ashes-test","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-ben-hunt","tag-blake-mozer","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-broncos","tag-cameron-munster","tag-coaching-role","tag-consistent-hamstring-niggles","tag-craig-bellamy","tag-decision-makers","tag-ezra-mam","tag-finals-appearances","tag-gold-coast","tag-head-coach","tag-head-coaching","tag-hostile-english-crowd","tag-jason-ryles","tag-jonah-pezet","tag-josh-hannay","tag-kevin-walters","tag-kieran-foran","tag-long-term-success","tag-manly-sea-eagles","tag-marquee-recruit","tag-master-coach","tag-melbourne-storm","tag-mitchell-moses","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-new-zealand","tag-nrl","tag-oceania","tag-one-year-visa","tag-parramatta-eels","tag-part-ways","tag-pat-carrigan","tag-payne-haas","tag-phd-prop","tag-player-turnover","tag-premiership-drought","tag-property-mogul","tag-queensland","tag-real-possibility","tag-reece-walsh","tag-roster-decisions","tag-rugby-league","tag-rugby-league-ashes-live","tag-rugby-league-legend","tag-speed-bump","tag-sports","tag-visa-inc","tag-young-gun"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}