Bellamy ‘honored’ to have coached Kamikamica

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has expressed his honor in coaching Tui Kamikamica, describing the prop as one of the finest clubmen he has encountered.

Kamikamica officially retired on Thursday, approximately five months after suffering a stroke that necessitated heart and brain surgery, casting doubt on his future in the sport. The 32-year-old bid farewell to the Melbourne home crowd before Thursday night's 22-14 loss to Penrith, appearing on the field with his young child.

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What he’s done for our club in the time he’s been here, that would be very, very hard to repeat. Everyone loves him. That’s not just me, it’s everyone in the club. They all love him because he’s such a genuine guy and a real decent guy. He’s been one of the best clubmen that I’ve ever seen, coaching and playing. I couldn’t give him a bigger rap than that.

Born in Fiji, Kamikamica became a beloved figure for the Storm, accumulating 142 NRL games between 2017 and 2026. Bellamy, who has coached notable players like Cameron Smith and Billy Slater, stated that few individuals brought more heart to a club than Kamikamica.

"What he’s done for our club in the time he’s been here, that would be very, very hard to repeat. Everyone loves him," Bellamy said. "That’s not just me, it’s everyone in the club. They all love him because he’s such a genuine guy and a real decent guy. He’s been one of the best clubmen that I’ve ever seen, coaching and playing. I couldn’t give him a bigger rap than that."

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Every time he laced his boots on and went out and played, he’d give it his all. I’m just honoured to have been his coach for a little while and got to know Tui as a footy player but got to know him as a man as well. I haven’t worked with too many better people in the game than Tui.

Bellamy also reflected on Kamikamica's on-field contributions, noting his valuable presence in the Storm pack during a period when the team needed size. "Every time he laced his boots on and went out and played, he’d give it his all," Bellamy added. "I’m just honoured to have been his coach for a little while and got to know Tui as a footy player but got to know him as a man as well. I haven’t worked with too many better people in the game than Tui."

The Storm's loss to Penrith officially ended their slim finals hopes, a result Bellamy attributed partly to a slow start. "We started slowly and didn’t really get into the game," he said. "The second half obviously was much better from our point of view, but if you get 22 points behind Penrith … we were probably never really going to be coming back."

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We started slowly and didn’t really get into the game. The second half obviously was much better from our point of view, but if you get 22 points behind Penrith … we were probably never really going to be coming back.