Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy fell ill during the Storm’s epic NRL clash with the Sydney Roosters and left immediately after the match.
The veteran master coach did not attend the post-game press conference on Friday night due to a migraine, with senior assistant Stephen Kearney filling in.
Melbourne say they cleared Bellamy’s absence with the NRL and the club should avoid a fine.
Coaches and players can be fined by the league if they skip media commitments without an excuse.
“(Bellamy) coached out the game, he left pretty much after the game,” Kearney said.
“He’s had to go home, he’s got a bad headache, a migraine you might call it, but he should be OK.”
The Storm charged home against the Roosters after trailing 14-0, but James Tedesco’s heroic defensive effort prevented Melbourne from pinching the lead in the dying stages to lose 18-14.
It leaves next Thursday night’s clash with Parramatta as a must-win clash for the Storm to finish off the regular season.
If Melbourne defeat the Eels they will secure an extraordinary eighth-straight top-four finish, but will drop into a sudden-death first week final should they lose.
“It’s going to be a big challenge for us, but it’s just about getting back to playing our footy and trying to set ourselves up for finals,” Storm captain Jesse Bromwich said.
“We just need to make sure we’re confident in what we’re doing and getting a little bit of momentum heading into that first (finals) game.
“It’s about getting our starts right and working on that discipline and completion.”
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