Melbourne Storm look to celebrate bronzed Bellamy

With Bellamy also credited for overseeing two Brisbane games in 2002 in the absence of then head coach Wayne Bennett, he'll bring his overall total to 602.

In 2021 Melbourne unveiled statues of club greats Cameron Smith and Billy Slater at AAMI Park, and chief executive Justin Rodski said Bellamy deserved the same honour.

"He's just had such an enormous impact on so many people. Melbourne Storm, we're 27 years young, and pretty much for our entire history Craig's been our coach," Rodski said.

"The broader sporting landscape here in Melbourne, helping the club to become a club that people know about, that people are passionate about, it's been really significant.

"I'd like to see the next statue here at Melbourne Park for Craig Bellamy because I think his impact on this city, on this team and on this club has just been so enormous."

Bellamy joked it might be "good for the pigeons" if another statue was added to Smith and Slater and credited the players he had coached for his longevity and success.

That includes five grand final wins - although the 2007 and 2009 premierships were stripped - with the club making the finals 21 times under Bellamy. That's every season he's been at the club bar the one year when they were docked of all competition points for salary cap breaches (2010).

Bellamy said he had feared his career in Melbourne could be over midway through his first season, much less reach 600 games, after a bumpy start.

"There was a bit of a rocky period during the first 10 weeks I was here and I remember coming to work there for a week or two weeks thinking there'd be a one-way ticket out of Melbourne on my desk," the 66-year-old said. "But they stuck with us.

"It is a lot of games when you work out seasons and a lot of finals in there as well, and it just seems a bit surreal, to be honest, for me to be coaching that long and to have coached at such a great club and so many great players.

"I think that's one of the reasons why I'm still here. Some of the players we've had have been remarkable players, so that's certainly helped."

While the "old" Bellamy still rages in the coaches box, he said he had mellowed through his years at the helm, crediting becoming a grand-father for bringing out his soft side.

"When I first came, I was a bit gung-ho - for the first five, six years probably I was a bit gung-ho and it was my way or the highway type thing," he said.

"I've changed a lot of ways and I'd be disappointed if I hadn't."

Bellamy said the salary cap scandal in 2010 had produced the biggest low and high of his coaching career.

As well as losing two premierships and being unable to play for points that season, the club had to cut their payroll by more than $1 million by the end of the year to be able to play in 2011.

But rebuilding from that devastation to win the 2012 grand final was the moment Bellamy most treasured.

"The one I probably remember most and value most is 2012," he said.

"For what we went through in 2010, to come back and win the premiership within two years of the club being gutted ... to rebuild in two years and win a premiership, that was quite remarkable."

Boasting a 70 per cent winning record from his 601 games, Bellamy trails Tim Sheens (693) and South Sydney guru Wayne Bennett (961) for NRL matches coached.

While he's signed for 2027, Bellamy said Bennett was in a level of his own.

"I think he's one of a kind, he just keeps turning up and turning up, I can't see myself going that far," Bellamy said.