Titans hope to know Bellamy call before pre-season
Scott Bailey and Joel Gould |
Gold Coast hope to know whether Craig Bellamy will coach the club in 2027 by early next month, before Josh Hannay begins his first pre-season in charge of the Titans.
AAP revealed this week the Titans were still pursuing Bellamy to coach the club, despite signing Hannay on a three-year deal in August.
It is understood plans are in place for Hannay to slide into an assistant’s role if Bellamy took charge at the Titans.
Bellamy is currently holidaying on the Gold Coast, where he also owns property. He also has links to the area via his daughter and her family.
Talks between he and Gold Coast have been ongoing for some time, and it’s understood there was dialogue well before Hannay’s appointment in August.
Conversations were put on hold through Melbourne’s finals campaign, but were always likely to kick off again once the Storm’s season finished.
Hannay is understood to have been aware of the Titans’ interest in Bellamy throughout his negotiations with the Gold Coast, and thus agreed to the plan.
There is also every chance he could take over again at the Titans after Bellamy’s stint there, if they landed the 66-year-old.
AAP understands Gold Coast would ideally have the matter finalised by the time Hannay takes charge of his first pre-season, with some players returning from November 7.
Melbourne would also no doubt like some certainty around Bellamy’s future, and whether he will remain coach there beyond his 24th season in charge next year.
But the reality is, Bellamy has never been one to rush decisions through a career where he has coached the Storm to a record 11 grand finals.
His current five-year deal with Melbourne had a year-by-year option for him to trigger each March for the following season.
But a decision was often made well after that, with Bellamy this year announcing in June that he would stay with the Storm in 2026.
It is unlikely the master coach would find himself rushed into a decision by either party.
The other factor at play is there no guarantee that Bellamy will want to coach for a 25th season in the NRL at either club, and instead move towards retirement.
If that was the case, it’s likely both the Titans and Storm would be keen to have him in a consultancy role.
Gold Coast CEO Steve Mitchell confirmed to AAP this week the club was interested in having Bellamy at the Titans in any capacity.
“We are very excited to have Josh Hannay joining us as our head coach from 2026,” Mitchell said.
“All employee contractual arrangements remain strictly confidential, and as such we will not be making public comment.
“We acknowledge Craig’s exceptional coaching credentials and reputation within the game, and like many NRL clubs would welcome him and his family in any capacity.”
If Bellamy is to stay at the Storm, a new contract would need to be agreed to, given his current deal ends following the 2026 season.
If he decides to retire from coaching or move to Gold Coast, Melbourne could eye off Billy Slater or current assistant Marc Brentnall as his replacement.
Slater has impressed during his four years as Queensland State of Origin coach, and his contract with the Maroons expires at the end of next year.
Hannay has been part of Slater’s coaching staff since he took over the Maroons in 2021.
AAP
