One brick after another for two decades, Craig Bellamy has built a reputation as one of the NRL’s most demanding and successful coaches.
But beneath his relentless, sometimes brutal, pursuit of excellence lies a defining moment of personal tragedy.
Still a young man back in Canberra, Bellamy received a phone call that would change his life — his father, Norm, had been killed in a workplace accident.
“I lost my dad reasonably early, he got killed in an accident at work,” Bellamy recalled in his documentary Revealed: Craig Bellamy – Inside the Storm. “I remember I was in Canberra at the time, I was working at the leagues club, and there was a call over the microphone, ‘Craig Bellamy, there is a call for you’.”
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The devastating news was delivered by his parents’ next-door neighbour, Donny Seymour. “He said, ‘Are you standing up?’ and I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he said, ‘Well, sit down’. I sort of picked up something was wrong, and then he said Dad had been killed.”
A coaching philosophy shaped by loss
Norm Bellamy’s sudden passing left an indelible mark on his son. His father’s lessons in work ethic and resilience became cornerstones of Bellamy’s coaching philosophy—one that has driven the Melbourne Storm to multiple premierships.
His mantra is simple: “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” And the proof is in his record. Since taking over in 2003, Bellamy has delivered titles in 2012, 2017 and 2020, all while fostering an uncompromising culture at the Storm.
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The 64-year-old still rides every play from the coach’s box, his animated touchline demeanour as famous as his tactical acumen. But behind the fire and passion is a man who carries his father’s influence.
“My kids never got to meet him, and he was a really special father. I know how hard it was for Mum too.”