NRL legend Sam Thaiday has called on the soon-to-be-established Western Australia rugby league team to pursue Craig Bellamy as their head coach. The NRL is set to announce the new club, expected to be named the Bears, on Thursday, with a planned entry into the league by 2027.
While former Eels coach Brad Arthur and ex-player Sam Burgess are both considered candidates for the position, Thaiday believes the Bears should aim higher. Bellamy, who has been the Melbourne Storm’s coach since 2003, has led the team to significant success, including multiple grand finals and premierships, albeit two were stripped due to salary cap infractions. Although Bellamy signed a new five-year contract with the Storm in 2022, he retains the flexibility to evaluate his coaching role annually, making him effectively a free agent.
Thaiday shared his enthusiasm for the team’s formation, highlighting the importance of establishing a competitive club from the outset. He stated, “This is a club that needs to be set up properly from the start. They need to be competitive, they need to make sure they’re winning more games than they’re losing.” While he doesn’t anticipate the Bears securing a premiership in their inaugural season, he emphasises the necessity of competitiveness.
He remarked that if he had significant financial backing, he would invest heavily in Bellamy to build the team around such a distinguished coach. Several NRL clubs have attempted to recruit Bellamy over the years, with offers reportedly exceeding $2 million a year, but he has consistently chosen to remain in Melbourne. There are speculations about a potential return to Queensland, where he has family, and questions about whether he wishes to continue coaching into his 70s, similar to fellow coaching great Wayne Bennett.
Thaiday expressed reservations about Burgess taking the helm, suggesting that a rookie coach would require an experienced support staff to navigate the challenges of NRL coaching. He acknowledged Burgess’s efforts to develop his coaching skills abroad but maintained that a solid organisational foundation is crucial for the new team’s success. The experience of past clubs indicates that achieving a high level of competitive play can take time, and Thaiday believes the Bears’ competitiveness is essential for the broader success of the NRL.