The Cronulla Sharks have signalled their intention to become an NRL powerhouse by joining the chase for current Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
Cronulla have become the latest club to try and secure the signature of the Melbourne super coach.
According to reports, the Sharks have joined the Brisbane Broncos in the race to get Bellamy heading north and have offered the 61-year-old a four-year deal to be the club’s director of football.
Bellamy has declared he does not want to coach Melbourne next season, bringing an end to a 19-year run at the Storm which includes the 2012, 2017 and 2020 premierships.
“We can confirm meetings have been ongoing between the Sharks, Craig Bellamy and his advisors, in relation to a potential coaching director role at our club from 2022 onwards,” Cronulla chief executive Dino Mezzatesta said in a statement on Saturday night.
“Until there is more to report, the Sharks will be making no further comment.”
The club’s coaching set-up beyond 2021 season has been a source of contention in recent weeks.
John Morris is entering the final season of a three-year deal but despite coaching the team to the finals in both campaigns so far, he remains unsigned for 2022.
Cronulla’s only premiership-winning coach, Shane Flanagan, will be able to resume a head coaching role in the Telstra Premiership next season with his ban due to expire in November.
Flanagan, who served as an assistant at St George Illawarra last season before parting ways with the club once Anthony Griffin came on board, was deregistered by the NRL in December 2018 after an investigation into salary cap irregularities at the Sharks found he had communicated with the club while serving a previous ban related to the side’s peptide scandal.
The Sharks finished eighth last season before bowing out in the first week of the finals when they were eliminated by Canberra.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Leadership of NRL at that stage was outstandingly ridiculous........ Gallen called the NRL ***** on his social media then the fronted him $80k for his legal fees to fight peptide case. At 31, injecting something into your body, playing 80mins of origin in the front row and not knowing it’s a performance enhancing??????? Please! Other former players have had media / commentary role terminated by nrl over undeclared third party deals. yet this guy gets provide input to many different shows and games as a known drug cheat that escaped suspension time due to serving it as backdated while he played a full season and 3 weeks while it was his offseason. The only good thing is that he’s been retired a number years, but he’s still helping nsw lose the origin series.
Yep....Look at the way the AFL and essendon handled peptides in sport and look at the way the NRL and Cronulla handled peptides in sport....
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Yeah and they will look at letting him back in the game early ????????♂️
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
I’m assuming your hinting at why Storm lost their premierships? Think you might find that might also be another reason why the Storm don’t like the Sharks. Storm rightly lost theirs for their indiscretions..... whereas the sharks get celebrated for winning their first for, as quoted by NRL CEO as being “Salary Cap compliant on grand final day”. While found being over the salary cap that year and the year after. But despite that their dislike runs deeper than that. Can only see him staying at Melbourne or landing at Gold Coast (not the titans but where his daughter lives) where he’s always said he wants to be, this would allow him to commute to Brisbane.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
It doesn’t matter what a lot of people think, at this stage just Belly...and it’s not as if he hasn’t been in very serious trouble and his own haters for it.
A lot of people dont particularly like the Sharks after the 3 week peptide punishment and the whole Flanagan saga
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Storm dislike for Cronulla is huge. It would have to be a ridiculous amount of money to get bellyache to the Sharks imo.
souvalis
Roar Rookie
Why not ? They've been deep in discussion for 6 months. Been a great week for the Sharks..I'd wet myself if he brought Pap with him.
Opposed Session
Roar Rookie
Be great for the Sharks if they got bellyache...... but sadly this is highly unlikely to be happening.