Craig Bellamy is the top manager successful rugby league past and volition person his fingerprints each implicit Melbourne Storm adjacent erstwhile helium stands down.
That's the telephone from Andrew Johns, with the Eighth Immortal saying that the bonzer consistency of Bellamy's occurrence made him No.1 implicit chap coaching icons similar Jack Gibson and Wayne Bennett.
Bellamy has announced that helium volition stay with the Storm until the extremity of 2026 and support coaching until astatine slightest the extremity of adjacent season.
With his squad yet again starring the NRL this year, helium whitethorn adhd to his 3 premierships earlier stepping down arsenic caput coach.
"Best manager of each time," Johns said connected Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth. "Twenty years coaching, 9 expansive finals, haven't missed the semis; missed it once, erstwhile they got caught rorting the cap. Best manager ever."
Bellamy would person 5 premierships to his sanction if not for the rorting ungraded that deleted titles from 2007 and 2009. He built a Melbourne authorities famed for its dedication to excellence and the results talk for themselves.
Johns said that the Storm had made the astir of bit-part players, particularly props, and had handled the nonaccomplishment of elite endowment amended than immoderate different club.
"Over a 10-year period, they mislaid Israel Folau, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater - the BIg Three, obviously. Billy, [Cooper] Cronk and Cameron [Smith]," Johns said.
"When different clubs suffer a champion player, conscionable one, they conflict for years. They conscionable support keeping on."
Fellow NRL large Brad Fittler said that the elder players nether Bellamy's reign deserved immoderate recognition for Melbourne's perpetual success. He besides suggested that Gibson and Bennett had to stay successful the coaching GOAT conversation.
"I don't deliberation you tin enactment it down to 1 person, particularly erstwhile the occurrence goes implicit specified a agelong period," helium said connected Freddy and the Eighth.
"But I deliberation those players similar Billy and Cam person had a large effect connected Harry Grant and [Ryan] Papenhuyzen.
"Craig, obviously, has had a immense portion successful what's gone connected there, without a doubt. But those different players person truly acceptable the modular of however the Storm play and what's expected astatine the club."
Johns suggested that Bellamy would gradually go similar iconic Manchester United brag Sir Alex Ferguson successful his twilight years with the Storm.
"He'll oversee everything," Johns said.
"You perceive to Man United close towards the end, Alex Ferguson would beryllium coaching the squad but they wouldn't spot him that often; lone earlier large games ... definite times wherever he'd travel down connected the tract and they'd beryllium like, 'Ooh, present helium comes'.
"If helium doesn't coach, he'll beryllium overseeing everything and inactive person his fingerprints connected everything."
One blip connected Bellamy's CV, comparative to Bennett, is his conflict astatine State of Origin level. Bennett has led Queensland to 5 bid wins, portion Bellamy struggled to accommodate his coaching benignant to the format portion signaling 3 losses successful complaint of NSW from 2008-10.
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