If Craig Bellamy leaves Melbourne at the end of the 2021 NRL season, he will leave a satisfied man.
The master coach is still weighing up whether to move into a director of coaching role with Brisbane or Cronulla, or stay in Melbourne in a similar position.
Of course, the Storm would love to have him stay on as head coach as they navigate their way through a new era without long-time skipper Cameron Smith.
But Bellamy is sounding like a man who, after 19 seasons, is ready to relinquish some of his day-to-day duties.
If he does, he would dearly love to bow out with elusive back-to-back premierships - achieved by the Sydney Roosters in 2018-19 and Brisbane 20-odd years earlier.
The 61-year-old Bellamy, however, won't be marking his career by that measure.
While winning three titles (with a further two stripped for club salary-cap cheating) from eight grand finals, Bellamy's trademark is consistency - making the finals in all 18 of the campaigns under his reign (apart from 2010 when they were unable to earn competition points).
His winning rate from 472 games is a stunning 69 per cent - the best of the current crop of NRL coaches.
"It is what it is. We haven't won two in a row at the club but it's hard to get into one (a grand final) and it's extra hard to win one so that doubles up," Bellamy told AAP.
"Winning two would certainly be nice, without a doubt, but it's tough to do even once so we just turn up each day and do the best we can and work as hard as we can and whatever happens from there will happen."
Smith has been Bellamy's leader in every premiership victory.
In the only grand final he missed in 2008, when suspended for a grapple tackle, the Storm bombed 40-0.
Bellamy knows the feeling outside the club is that Melbourne can't win without the legendary hooker.
"A lot people would be saying that and we understand how tough it's going to be," Bellamy said.
"He's the best player to have every played the game and he's our captain, our goalkicker, he touches the ball first in most plays, so there's a lot to make up for.
"But a lot of people said the same when Cooper (Cronk) left there will be a downturn and when Billy (Slater) left but we seem to have got through that OK.
"We did miss them but slowly but surely we found what worked for us and who worked for us.
"This will probably be our biggest loss in that the other two have already gone but we understand how hard it's going to be but we're up for the fight."
Personal issues have delayed a decision on his own future but Bellamy hasn't let it impact his players.
And that includes halfback Jahrome Hughes, who he urged to make the call that was best for the New Zealand international which resulted in a new contract.
"Jahrome didn't need to make his decision based on whether I'm staying or going, he needed to make the decision for himself and Molly and that was the message I gave him," Bellamy said.
"Don't worry about what I'm doing or anyone else is doing, do what's right for you and you've got to be happy where you are and where you can play your best footy."
While in a normal year the pre-season would start in late November, Melbourne's official training only started on January 4 with Bellamy admitting that hub life in 2020 took a toll.
The Storm relocated to the Sunshine Coast before round eight and while many attributed the all-in move to their premiership, Bellamy said it was a new challenge after so many years as coach.
"The good part was that we had plenty of room to move around compared to people in isolation in Melbourne but the reason we've had a very short pre-season this year wasn't anything to do with physical but mentally we needed a rest from each other," he said.
"We usually travel, train and play together but we were having breakfast, lunch, dinner and socialising.
"The whole group managed that really well but you could tell at the end we were glad to have a break from each other."
With the group starting to "fray" he said they got together about six weeks out from the grand final to address the growing tensions.
"We got together and said we could see a light at the end of the tunnel; we've got six or seven weeks to go with everything going well and it's worthwhile fighting for so we did," Bellamy said.
Despite their limited build-up in 2021, with a pre-season trial cancelled due to border restrictions, Bellamy feels the Storm are in good shape.
"From what I've seen we're going pretty well but the proof will be in the pudding in the first month of footy to see where we're at," he said.
"Most of the players came back in pretty good condition and I don't think we're too far away from where we would have been but who is to know or say, we will see what happens."
Australian Associated Press
