Craig Bellamy in stunning $2 million sacrifice as Melbourne close in on major grand final advantage
Bellamy snubbed a mammoth $10million deal from the Eels to stay at Melbourne.
In a bombshell revelation ahead of Sunday's NRL grand final, it has been revealed that the Parramatta Eels tabled the biggest coaching contract in NRL history to try and lure Craig Bellamy away from the Storm. Sunday night's clash against Penrith will mark Bellamy's 10th grand final in charge of Melbourne and it could have been his last in purple if Parramatta had their way.
The Eels were on the hunt for a new coach following the axing of Brad Arthur and attempted to persuade Bellamy to leave Melbourne by offering him a whopping $10 million deal - the richest coaching contract in rugby league's 116-year history according to News Corp. Parramatta ended up signing Jason Ryles as their new coach but it was only after they made moves for two of the biggest coaching names in the game.
There was plenty of chatter after Arthur's sacking about the Eels going after Wayne Bennett. But it was revealed this week that he wasn't the only big-name coach on Parramatta's radar, with a $2.5million a season four-year deal tabled for the Melbourne Storm leader. The 65-year-old is on $2 million a year at Melbourne and therefore forewent a staggering $2 million by snubbing the Eels to stay at the Storm.
And Storm chairman Matt Tripp says he is fully aware that other clubs have and can offer Bellamy more than the $2 million a year he earns at the Storm but is confident he would never leave the club to join a rival team. "The truth is Craig has been offered much more money by other clubs than we can give him," Tripp told News Corp. "If Craig was motivated just by money, he would have taken the offers and we wouldn’t have him anymore.
"I’d be incredibly surprised if Craig got the urge to go to another club, or even a start-up (expansion) club, because of his familiarity with Melbourne and what he has created here. To be honest, the greatness of Craig is that he is coaching better now than he ever has. He’s contracted with us until 2026 and we’ve got a rolling arrangement where in March or April each year, Craig has a think about things. He will tell me whether he was to stay as head coach or move into a mentoring role."
Bellamy - who has been weighing up retiring from coaching for the past couple of years - is in the midst of a five-year deal with the Storm which runs until the end of the 2026 season. How long he continues to coach remains unclear and as part of his current five-year deal, he can transition into another role at the club if he wishes to step away from coaching.
Melbourne moves closer to getting 2025 NRL grand final rights
The NRL is understood to be considering moving the 2025 NRL grand final to Melbourne. Tripp and the Victorian government are currently formulating a multimillion-dollar bid to steal rugby league's showpiece event at least for next season, in what would be a huge advantage for the Storm if they are to get to next year's grand final.
It comes after ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys revealed next year's NRL grand final is up for grabs. The NSW government’s grand final deal ends this season and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan revealed her government plans to make a formal bid to poach the NRL decider and stage it at the MCG.
"Melbourne is the sporting capital of Australia," Allan told Triple M Breakfast’s show with Rosie, Wil & Daisy in Melbourne. "I’m not surprised that the NRL might be interested in bringing the grand final to Melbourne and we’re absolutely up for the discussion.
"The second State of Origin was held at the MCG this year, there were 90,000 people attending. The biggest crowds that the NRL gets for their State of Origin matches are right here in Melbourne at the MCG. It’s no surprise that the clubs, the players, the fans, all want to see the NRL played at the MCG – the best stadium in the country – so of course, we’re up for having a conversation with the NRL.
"It (the MCG) is the best venue in the country, best fans in the country, and they’ll pack the venue out. It would be a great player experience and a great experience for the fans."
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V'landys has previously flagged the prospect of the NRL grand final being played in various locations around Australia and New Zealand, in a move similar to what is done with the NFL's Super Bowl. The NRL grand final has been played at Homebush since 1999, a 25-year stranglehold broken only briefly by the Covid crisis when it went to Brisbane. Sydney retained the hosting rights for this year’s grand final but the NRL is open to future bids from governments in Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria.
