Melbourne Storm Coach Craig Bellamy Responds to Cameron Munster’s PNG Ultimatum

Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has stated he will fully support any decision Cameron Munster makes about his National Rugby League future, even if it involves Munster rejecting a potential 2028 contract with the expansion franchise PNG Chiefs if Bellamy is still at the helm.

“

I'd love to go right through my coaching career with him, ending about the same time.

Munster, a veteran Storm player, put pressure on Bellamy by declaring he would turn down the Chiefs if Bellamy remained the Storm's coach in 2028. Bellamy himself re-signed with the Storm until 2028 in February. However, his recent diagnosis with a neurodegenerative condition has introduced uncertainty about his ability to coach that late into his career. Bellamy indicated on Thursday that he expects to finish coaching in "the next year or two" but did not definitively rule out coaching until 2028, depending on his health.

“

He's got a decision to make. He'll make the right decision for what's right for his family. He's got the right to do that. I'll back ‘Mun’ up, whatever he wants to do.

Bellamy, who gave Munster his NRL debut in 2014 and coached him to two premierships, expressed a personal desire for them to conclude their careers at Melbourne together. "I'd love to go right through my coaching career with him, ending about the same time," Bellamy said. However, he acknowledged Munster's right to make his own choices for his family's well-being. "He's got a decision to make. He'll make the right decision for what's right for his family. He's got the right to do that. I'll back ‘Mun’ up, whatever he wants to do."

“

Any team losing their captain, that’s a big loss, but Harry especially.

Adding to the Storm's challenges, Munster is currently sidelined with a knee injury for Friday's crucial match against Canterbury-Bankstown. Captain and hooker Harry Grant has also been ruled out with a hamstring problem. Bellamy described Grant's injury as a significant blow, noting the importance of the captain's presence in the middle of the field. The Storm, currently 12th on the ladder, are facing a season of injuries and a seven-game losing streak that has severely jeopardized their finals aspirations. A loss to the Bulldogs would mark the first time missing the finals under Bellamy since 2010 and would be their 12th loss of the season, the most in his tenure.

“

He’s always in the middle of the play whether it be with the ball or without the ball.