STORM DEAL TRUMPS BRONCOS’ BELLAMY BID
SUPERCOACH Craig Bellamy will take a substantial pay cut if he quits the Melbourne Storm to replace Wayne Bennett at the Brisbane Broncos.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Bellamy’s current and soon-to-be-completed six-year contract with the Storm is worth a staggering $9 million — or $1.5 million a year.
The contract he signed in 2013 includes performance bonuses, a car, free petrol, overseas trips and domestic airfares.
The deal was done while News Corp still owned the Storm, knowing it would be a huge deterrent to potential buyers if Bellamy wasn’t in charge of the franchise.
The offer from the Broncos is $5.6 million over four years, or $1.4 million a year.
It was originally thought the Broncos offer would be greater than Melbourne’s because of their financial clout in a one-team, one-town, rugby league city.
The Storm will in fact turn over $52 million this year, almost $10 million more than the Broncos.
We first revealed last Sunday that Bennett was approaching his use-by date at the Broncos.
The club management was not happy about recent recruitment decisions, his poor handling of the Matt Lodge drama and that he was taking off for the Denver Test during a difficult season.