Melbourne Storm football director Frank Ponissi insists coach Craig Bellamy remained committed to seeing out the 2026 NRL season, despite revelations the legendary mentor had been diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder.
Bellamy did not face the media for his typical post-game press conference after his side slumped to a seventh-straight defeat, at the hands of the Dolphins on Friday night, and Ponissi instead fronted the microphones alongside skipper Harry Grant.
Ponissi confirmed “he [Bellamy] was never coming in tonight – win, lose or draw”, at the end of what has been the most challenging week of the coach’s life as he and his family comprehend the life-changing diagnosis.
“He’s been through a lot with his family, so we gave him the opportunity to not worry about tonight,” Ponissi he said.
“But in terms of the way he coached tonight you wouldn’t think there was anything there of the last few days that he’s gone through – it’s quite remarkable. He’s just purely about the team and trying to fix where we’re going wrong.”
An outpouring of emotion has flown Bellamy’s way since his health concerns came to light on Thursday, and Ponissi said the coach, who has overseen the Storm for 22 years, had been “overwhelmed” by the support he had received.
Bellamy in February signed a contract extension through to the end of 2028, and Ponissi was adamant the coach would see out this year’s campaign. He said the premiership-winning honcho had already begun planning for next week’s clash against the Tigers.
“I have absolutely no doubt, the fire is in the belly,” Ponissi said.
“It’s been hard for him the last few weeks with the news, but he’s as committed as ever – you just had to be in that dressing room now to see the passion he’s got and the commitment. He doesn’t like where we are now, none of us do, and he works as hard as he’s ever done before.
“We’re all hurting, and frustrated too, but we’re certainly not going to be throwing in the towel. He just wants to now focus on coaching and getting us back to winning.”
This is the longest losing streak of Bellamy’s coaching career, and after leading 10-0 until the final minute of the first half in their 28-10 defeat to the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium, it marked the fourth time in the seven losses the Storm took a lead into the break.
It is a run of form that is also foreign to Grant, who cut a dejected figure after his side missed a golden opportunity to salvage a win.
But the Queensland hooker declared he and his teammates needed to follow Bellamy’s lead.
“It’s all part of the journey, it’s a bit raw and a bit real. But at the end of the day, it’s life and the cards have been dealt,” Grant said.
“There are two parts of it – on the field and off the field – and at the moment, we’ve got to fix some stuff on the field as well to ease a little bit off the field. It’s a whole club matter, and I think everyone would understand there’s an element of respect in Craig’s privacy and getting on with business as usual, like Craig’s doing.
“I think we can all kind of respect that. As a rugby league community [we] wrap our arms around it, and just really roll with what’s next. He’s looking forward to next week and really righting some wrongs.
“As a playing group, we’ve just got to really buy into that and back him up by working hard at training, and transferring that into a performance.”
Broncos coach Michael Maguire, who previously served as an assistant coach under Bellamy, said: “Craig and I have had some great times together, and you obviously care about the people you’ve been a part of throughout your career.
“Knowing Craig, I know he’ll be right – he’s a fighter, so he’ll get through this and keep coaching.”
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