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Why Bellamy's departure was no surprise for Daley
Nicholas Quinlan • April 30th, 2026 7:40 pm
NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley admitted that he was not surprised by Craig Bellamy’s decision to depart from his advisory role with NSW.
With Daley looking to win his second State of Origin series in his seventh series as coach, the Raiders legend has been dealt two coaching blows in his preparations to regain the shield.
Following St George Illawarra’s decision to sack Shane Flanagan and employ Dean Young as their interim, Young decided to step down from his role as the Blues’ defence coach.
Then on Monday, it was confirmed that Bellamy had ‘unexpectedly’ stepped down from his advisory role within Daley’s staff.
But the 56-year-old said that he was aware that the Melbourne Storm coach was likely to be out for a while.
“To be fair with Craig, he was always out from the start of the year,” Daley told SEN’s Kick Off.
“It was highly unlikely, and he was a guy that I was always gonna keep the door open and possibly ring him.
“But knowing Craig and where he was at, (he) was never sort of gonna be on board again.”
After Young’s decision to resign from his position, this led to Sydney Roosters legend Boyd Cordner being promoted to an assistant coach role.
Following his medical retirement in 2021, the three-time premiership winner has gone straight into the coaching ranks.
Already, Cordner has worked with NSW as its blue shirt trainer whilst also being the head coach of the Roosters’ SG Ball side, who will face the Knights in the competition’s Grand Final on Saturday.
And with experience in the squad, Daley felt it was a no-brainer to promote the 33-year-old.
“With Boydo (Boyd Cordner), it just made sense that he's been on the staff for two years now,” he continued.
“He's a guy that's very passionate about coaching. He's a guy that's coaching his own side, they're in a grand final this week, and the guys have got a huge amount of respect for Boyd.
“So, for me, it was a no-brainer that we get him involved, and we utilise him better and more than what we did, say, last year and the year before.
“So, he'll have those extra responsibilities (from Dean). Boyd and I will be able to look after our edges.
“That's a part of the game which is so important because, in particular, when we look back on last year's series, we just didn't defend as well as we needed to.”
The men’s State of Origin begins on May 27 with the Blues hosting Queensland at Accor Stadium.
Kick-off takes place 8:05pm AEST.
