Latest news with #CraigBellamy
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘He's always perfect': Melbourne Storm star's Craig Bellamy jab
Cameron Munster took a cheeky shot at Storm coach Craig Bellamy after Melbourne's 28-16 win over the Gold Coast on Saturday. At 65, Bellamy isn't showing any signs of mellowing, regularly venting his frustrations in the coach's box during the game, which was held in atrocious conditions. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. While the Storm would win the slugfest by 12 points, you wouldn't know his team was on top judging by Bellamy's antics. Renowned as one of the fieriest characters in the NRL, Bellamy has often been seen slamming the desk or berating his players over his wildly successful 22-year tenure. On Saturday, his main move was simply to stand up and walk away whenever he was displeased by a play, rather than rant and rave. Maybe his doctor has had a chat with him about his blood pressure? Despite the Storm taking a 16-6 lead into halftime after a double from winger Sualauvi Faalogo, Munster initially had an inkling what his coach would be thinking as he spoke at halftime. 'He won't be too happy,' he said. 'I think we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. 'A couple of passes under pressure, myself, a couple of other guys throwing balls and not hitting targets. 'Hopefully we can do it a bit better in the second half.' It didn't get much better early in second half, however, with Ryan Papenhuyzen tackled with the ball on the last play just metres from the Gold Coast try line. That was enough for Bellamy to get up out of his seat and walk to the back of the coach's box. 'Great tackle from Brian Kelly and that's got the coach walking,' Michael Ennis said on Fox Sports. 'He's out of the box, he's had enough already, we're only five minutes into the second half.' Lara Pitt then gave a report from the sheds after the break. 'Craig Bellamy certainly looking frustrated already to open this second half,' she said. 'He was saying to his side at halftime consistency is key, they need to stick to their processes in the second half, particularly in these conditions.' There was some consistency – consistent errors in the awful weather. Just two minutes later, Storm captain Jahrome Hughes tried a grubber kick that went straight to the Titans about four metres out. Directly after that turnover Melbourne conceded a penalty to again let the Titans off the hook and Bellamy had seen enough, again standing up and walking away from the action. 'He's not happy at all Craig and rightly so,' Ennis said. 'That was unusual, you don't see Jahrome Hughes often get those wrong.' Warren Smith then quipped: 'He needs a sneaker sponsor Craig. He must go through some pairs. 'He'll need salt tablets, he'll be cramping up in the coach's box with all the metres he's done.' Ennis added: 'He's doing some laps. 'He is unhappy this afternoon, there's no doubt about that.' Imagine how Bellamy would have responded if his team had actually lost the game. While the Storm made some errors, the Titans were far more guilty, making 15 to Melbourne's six, although the visitors were on the wrong end of an 8-5 penalty count. Pitt then mentioned the coach's behaviour again speaking to a drenched Munster after the fulltime whistle. 'The coach, there were various points in the broadcast, he was almost doing a walkout of the coach's box,' she said. 'Can you give us some insight into how that plays out now when you get into the sheds?' Munster gave a sensational insight into his coach, and gave him a little clip, with his reply. 'He's a worry wart, he loves perfection and unfortunately when you play rugby league it's not always going to be perfect,' he said. 'He wants it to be, but in these conditions there's going to be dropped balls, there's going to be decisions that no one wants to do. 'No one's perfect but unfortunately for 'Bellyache', he's always perfect by the sound of it. 'He'll probably be disappointed but we only let in 16 points … pretty happy.' Fans had noticed the constant shots of Bellamy storming out of his seat during the game and provided some more commentary on social media. One tweeted: 'Can we please have the 'Bellamycam' a permanent fixture in the corner every storm game?' Another suggested: 'Gogglebox but it's just Craig Bellamy.' Some fans weren't enjoying it quite so much, with one writing: '@FOXNRL WILL YOU STOP showing the coach FFS.' Another sympathised with the legendary coach, stating: 'This Storm team has all the talent but f**k are they dumb. Probably one of the more frustrating years for Bellamy.' Regardless of his antics, or his blood pressure, Bellamy's Storm moved into second place with the victory with a 7-4 record ahead of next week's clash with the Cowboys. The Titans continue to struggle under Des Hasler, sitting on just three wins for the year and ahead of only the Penrith Panthers in the standings.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Storm secure scrappy win over tenacious Titans
Melbourne may have banked a 28-16 win but did little to convince coach Craig Bellamy to sign for another year in a scrappy showing against a battling Gold Coast. The Titans' eighth loss kept the pressure on coach Des Hasler with the team languishing in second last on the ladder, as Melbourne moved into second spot following Saturday's victory at Cbus Super Stadium. INTERCEPT! 🙌#NRLTitansStorm Telstra Moment of the Match — NRL (@NRL) May 31, 2025 But Bellamy, who said before the match he was likely to make a decision on his coaching future next week, looked far from happy with the Storm's performance. While wet weather didn't make it easy for either side, ill-discipline and errors meant Melbourne struggled to shake the Titans, with a furious Bellamy up out of his seat a number of times, storming into the back of the coach's box. Winger Sua Fa'alogo and centre Grant Anderson both scored a double on a limited Melbourne highlight reel, while Titans winger Phillip Sami also crossed twice for his side. Melbourne rested Origin stars Harry Grant and Xavier Coates while Cameron Munster, Trent Loiero and Stefano Utoikamanu all reported for duty. The Titans' three representative players - skipper Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, Beau Fermor and Moeaki Fotuaika - all backed up. But the home side were forced into some late changes after fullback Jaylan De Groot went down with a hamstring injury and five-eighth AJ Brimson suffered a head knock at Thursday's training Gold Coast got off to a bright start when Jojo Fifita beat Jack Howarth in a one-on-one battle before he scooted away and off-loaded to Jayden Campbell for a try in the fifth minute. The Titans dominated much of the half but late tries to Fa'alogo and Tyran Wishart gave Melbourne a 16-6 halftime lead. The home side must have felt hard done by when they were denied a try in the 64th minute, only for the Storm to score immediately after. Melbourne players Joe Chan and Shawn Blore were caught up on the ground at the ruck and dummy half Sam Verrills picked up the ball and dived over the line. But after a Storm challenge he was ruled to have touched Fa'asuamaleaui's leg on the way through, which impeded Ryan Papenhuyzen in defence. Anderson then intercepted the ball as the Titans attacked the line and raced 90 metres for a 12-point swing. Sami grabbed his second try soon after but by then the margin proved too big for Gold Coast to peg back.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Captain Harry Grant set to miss Melbourne Storm's clash with Gold Coast after State of Origin workload
Melbourne Storm could be without a couple of their Origin stars after coach Craig Bellamy revealed Harry Grant had returned home from Brisbane and was 'doubtful' to fly back to the Gold Coast for Saturday's game against the Titans. Grant, Cameron Munster, Xavier Coates and Trent Loiero all played on Wednesday night, while Stefano Utoikamanu was part of the NSW squad that took a 1-0 series lead with Bellamy part of the coaching crew. The Storm has traditionally played it safe during the Origin period, but Bellamy hasn't decided who will back up and who will be rested for the trip north. 'I'm not quite sure yet,' he said. 'A couple of them probably won't but a couple probably will. 'We just need to get through training today and then we'll see how we go with the players here. 'Harry came back (to Melbourne) but the rest of them stayed up there, so we'll see how they're going when we get up there.' Grant is the man most likely to miss out, with Bronson Garlick expected to take the captain's place in the starting side if he's ruled out. The Maroons hooker has played just one NRL match since round 6 due to a hamstring tear and it showed, as Grant struggled to make an impact on Wednesday night. He had just three runs, missed five tackles and gave away a penalty in an uncharacteristically off night, but Bellamy assured Storm fans that Grant's fitness wasn't a concern. 'He hasn't played much footy, but he's OK physically,' he said. 'Like the others, he's disappointed with the result as you would be, but he seems OK this morning. '(I haven't ruled him out) at the moment, but he's probably doubtful, especially with the amount of footy that he hasn't played. 'We're just trying to do what we think is best for tomorrow afternoon but also what's right for the players.' Jack Howarth could return from a shoulder injury, with the Storm searching for consistency after trading wins and losses across the past six rounds before last week's bye. Scoring points hasn't been an issue for Melbourne, but they've also leaked plenty of tries, which is a worry ahead of a tricky clash against a Titans side that loves to move the ball. 'I'm not quite sure what to put it down to, but we're obviously aware of it,' Bellamy said. 'It's not something that we're too happy with, to be quite honest. 'We probably need to be a little bit more consistent with our training and then we'll be a little bit more consistent in the game.'
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Cardiff's Ronan Kpakio, 18, earns surprise Wales call-up after one league start
The right-back – who only turned 18 on Sunday and has captained Wales several times at youth level – has been named in Craig Bellamy's 27-strong squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Belgium. Kpakio signed his first professional contract last July and made his Cardiff debut in the Carabao Cup a month later. His first Sky Bet Championship appearance came as a second-half substitute against Sheffield United in December, but he missed several months of the season after having leg surgery in January. He made his full league debut for Cardiff at Norwich on the final day of the campaign. Kpakio and Charlie Crew have both been included by boss Bellamy after featuring in last week's Wales training camp in Cardiff and Spain. Leeds midfielder Crew spent the second half of the season on loan at Doncaster and helped Rovers to League Two title success. The 18-year-old won his first cap in a friendly against Gibraltar last summer. Key pair Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson return to the international fold after missing Wales' opening two World Cup qualifiers in March through injury. Captain Aaron Ramsey remains unavailable after undergoing hamstring surgery in March. The recently-retired Joe Allen, Kai Andrews and Tom Lawrence are absent after being involved against Kazakhstan and North Macedonia two months ago. Wales currently sit second in Group J after beating Kazakhstan 3-1 at home and drawing 1-1 in North Macedonia. The Dragons host group minnows Liechtenstein on June 6 and play Belgium in Brussels three days later. Group favourites Belgium have yet to begin their campaign, having been involved in Nations League action in March. Wales squad: K Darlow (Leeds), D Ward (Leicester), A Davies (Sheff Utd), N Williams (Nottingham Forest), J Dasilva (Coventry), C Roberts (Burnley), R Kpakio (Cardiff), B Davies (Tottenham), C Mepham (Sunderland, on loan from Bournemouth), B Cabango (Swansea), J Rodon (Leeds), J Sheehan (Bolton), C Crew (Doncaster, on loan from Leeds), E Ampadu (Leeds), J James (Rennes), O Cooper (Swansea), H Wilson (Fulham), D Brooks (Bournemouth), S Thomas (Nantes, on loan from Huddersfield), L Cullen (Swansea), N Broadhead (Ipswich), L Koumas (Stoke, on loan from Liverpool), R Matondo (Hannover, on loan from Rangers), K Moore (Sheff Utd), M Harris (Oxford), B Johnson (Tottenham), D James (Leeds).
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘Worst game I've seen': Craig Bellamy's brutal NSW hit job on Harry Grant
The last time Craig Bellamy had anything official to do with State of Origin, he walked away a broken and beaten man. For all the magic he has conjured with the Storm, he just couldn't make his inferior NSW side rise to a level to match Mal Meninga's dynastic Maroons. He walked away after three series defeats between 2008 and 2010. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited-time offer. In his defence, God might not have been able to make that NSW side rise to a level capable of beating Queensland, so as good as he was, Bellamy probably didn't stand a chance. But there was one thing in particular which really bothered the supercoach: he hated conspiring against the guys he looked after every week. Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk. For maybe the only time in his coaching career, he never felt truly at ease. Fifteen days is a long time in rugby league, let alone 15 years. While he sat mostly stony faced and emotionless in the back of the NSW coaching box at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night (at least when the cameras caught him), Bellamy is on the cusp of scratching that Origin itch. It might not have been as headline-grabbing as Zac Lomax's aerial prowess, Latrell Mitchell barely leaving his fingerprints on a pass to set up Brian To'o, or Connor Watson's supreme strength to hurl the ball for Dylan Edwards' match sealer, but there was a theme to NSW's historic game one win: the hit job on Harry Grant. Make no mistake, this is Laurie Daley's NSW team. He deserves all the credit for this win, perhaps series defining, in a match which will never come near the annals of Origin classic. But when he pitched to the NSW Rugby League board to replace Michael Maguire at the end of last year, he came with a secret weapon: Bellamy's guarantee he would be his adviser. Everyone else applying was bringing a knife to a gun fight. On his Big Sports Breakfast program on Monday, Daley waded into an area he usually avoids. He was asked an innocent question about how the Blues expected Queensland to use interchange star Tom Dearden, and whether it would be in tandem with starting No. 9 Grant. He ever so slightly peeled back the curtains on the Bluesprint. 'I don't know how much Harry has done,' said Daley, referencing Grant's injury-interrupted preparation, which restricted him to just 55 minutes of game time in six weeks before Origin I. 'He'll be a little bit underdone. If he's making 50 to 60 tackles, he could be buggered.' That's the appeal of Origin: one week Bellamy is putting his Melbourne captain in cotton wool on his return from a hamstring complaint, the next he's part of a brains trust which put a moving target on arguably Queensland's most influential player. Of the tired and battered bodies which trudged from The Cauldron after game one, none looked more scarred than Grant. He kept throwing his body in front of giant NSW forwards, and by the time Queensland had the ball, the zip was out of his legs. They challenged him at marker in defence, arrowed at him when he was close to the ruck, and stood Payne Haas two passes wide when Grant was scouting wider in the Maroons line. By the time it got to 53 minutes, Queensland coach Slater had seen enough. He hooked Grant for Dearden, only sending him back into the game for the final five inconsequential minutes. Grant's numbers told a story: 43 tackles in just 59 minutes of field time. With a fuel tank lower than Peter Dutton's approval ratings, he ran the ball just five times for 23 metres. Job done. Like they did in last year's grand final when they strangled the life out of the Storm and Grant (after he scored the first try) by forcing him to make 59 tackles, Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo pulled the right strings containing Grant. Yeo was far more prevalent running the ball rather than distributing, a clear tactic to up Grant's workload. If Grant had played all 80 minutes of Origin I and kept making tackles at the same rate, he would have just about equalled his tally from last year's grand final. But numbers only tell part of the story. Watch NSW's three first-half tries. The first, Grant rushed Cleary on a last tackle play, presumedly in the hope of pressuring the kick, but all it did was force Cleary to chance his hand on the last, shovelling the ball to Haas and then immediately stepping around Grant to take him out of play. Cleary touched the ball a second time in the sequence before it finally landed in Lomax's hands for the opening try. Two minutes later, Reece Robson and Haas forced Grant into error as he fumbled the ball with a rare run near the halfway line. Next set, NSW scored through Brian To'o. Ceding momentum and field position, Grant's next telling contribution was one borne by frustration and fatigue. He tried to con referee Ashley Klein by sneakily toeing the ball out of Lomax's grasp as he attempted to play it. Penalty. Before Queensland could touch the ball again, Lomax had his second. 'That was probably the worst game I've seen Harry play,' Andrew Johns said on Channel 9 post game. On Thursday, Bellamy will have Grant and the rest of his Queensland Storm disciples back at the club as they prepare for Saturday's game on the Gold Coast. It will be like Wednesday night never happened. But after a long Origin hiatus, Bellamy is back helping Daley and the Blues – and it came with an almighty mission on one of his own.
