Bellamy clone has Storm official seeing double

MELBOURNE football manager Frank Ponissi will never forget the day he had two Craig Bellamys in the Storm coaching box.

Bellamy is widely regarded as the most animated, at times angry, coach in the NRL, but on this occasion in 2017, he was joined by his equal in then senior assistant coach Adam O’brien.

“Adam really wore his heart on his sleeve at the Storm,” Ponissi said.

“He was really passionate and sometimes spilt over.

“Only problem is Craig is also like that, so we really couldn’t have two coaches with a similar temperament otherwise the box was going to explode.”

Ponissi knew something had to change, but it was O’brien who had the awareness and initiative to approach the club about altering his passion in the coach’s box alongside Bellamy.

“Credit to Adam, he acknowledged that, and he developed some composure and that passion calmness,” Ponissi said. “I remember the first couple of games with Craig and Adam being in the box together and sitting on the sideline with the headphones on and thinking, ‘bloody hell, what is going on in that box?’

“But Adam deserves praise because he became the calmer one to make him and Craig the ideal match.

“That highlights Adam’s ability to read people and the moment.”

O’brien spent 11 seasons at Melbourne in various roles from an Under 20s assistant, a development coach and team’s on-field runner.

He also had four seasons as an NRL assistant working alongside the man affectionately known as ‘Bellyache’.

Tonight at Gosford, O’brien will face Bellamy for the first time as an NRL coach when his Newcastle Knights take on the Storm.

Ponissi is looking forward to watching two former Melbourne mentors and mates clash on the first-grade stage.

He is particularly pleased to see O’brien’s hard work and commitment pay off. the