'Might be it': Craig Bellamy drops huge retirement bombshell

He may be one of the most successful mentors in NRL history, but Craig Bellamy's coaching days are numbered.

That's according to the man himself, who admits that when his Melbourne Storm contract is up he will almost certainly walk away.

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Bellamy's coaching deal with the Storm runs until the end of the 2021 season and there has been plenty of speculation he will still be around after that season ends.

The Canterbury Bulldogs have often been spoken of as a potential destination for Bellamy if he decided he wanted a new challenge.

However, the veteran coach - who has guided his side to two NRL premierships in his time with the club - has brushed off those reports.

When asked on Nine's 100% Footy whether he would like to keep coaching when his contract runs out at the end of 2021, Bellamy said: “Not really to be quite honest."

“I know I’ve said it before and I have gone on, but I’ll be 62 by the end of the year. So, I think if I see out this contract, that might be it for me.”

The 60-year-old did suggest that while his head coaching days were coming to an end, he would still aim to remain in the game in another capacity.

“I’d still like to be involved in the game in some way, but certainly only in a part-time basis or whatever, I’m not quite sure what that would be,” he said.

“But I think this time next year I’ll be getting close to the end.”

Bellamy's future may well be aligned with that of his Storm skipper Cameron Smith, who is off contract at the end of this season.

Regarded as one of rugby league's greatest ever hookers, Smith's role in the side for next season is being made more complicated by the form of Harry Grant.

The loanee player has been excellent at the Wests Tigers this season and has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave the Storm if Smith plays on again in 2021.

However, Smith's emergence as a halves contender for the Storm means the veteran could feasibly eye a positional switch next season, allowing he and Grant to play in the same team.

Positional switch looms for Smith

After impressing in the halves in the Storm's thrilling golden point win over the Roosters, Smith looks likely to spend more time there due to Cameron Munster's injury.

Munster has revealed his knee injury is worse than first thought and that he will miss at least another five games.

The Storm medical staff expected Munster to be sidelines for three to four weeks after suffering a grade-two medial ligament tear in Melbourne's round-seven thrashing of the Warriors.

But the State of Origin and Test ace now says he's racing the clock to make it back for Melbourne's round-14 blockbuster with the Roosters.

I'm still a fair way away. I'm probably at least another five or six weeks, which is not ideal for myself," Munster said on Fox League Live.

The 25-year-old has only just returned to straight-line running and hopes to resume training with the Storm next week.

"The hardest thing for me will be changing directions and angles," he said.

"That's something I do a lot, is change direction and I want to make sure I'm at least 100 per cent when I get out there - not 70 or 80 and do it again.

"So I'll make sure I'm 100 per cent and, if that means I've got to take a couple of more weeks, then I'll take a couple of more weeks."

with AAP