Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Queensland coach Billy Slater is loved in Queensland and Victoria and already has his own statue in Melbourne.
His NSW coaching counterpart Laurie Daley, on the other hand, had to wake up on Tuesday morning to yet another potshot at his ability to coach at the highest level.
Daley won one of five series against arguably the greatest Queensland teams assembled between 2013 and 2017, and should have won last year’s series upon his return, only for Zac Lomax to have an off night with the boot in front of goals in the second game in Perth.
“Thanks for bringing up that record, it’s not great, is it?” Daley said at Tuesday’s press conference on a gloomy Melbourne day.
When asked what a series win would mean for him personally, Daley paused and said: “I want what’s best for NSW, I want the boys to win.
“I want to win, I want them to win, and I want the fans to win.
“If I can satisfy everyone in NSW, and the boys are really happy with their performance on Wednesday night … it’s very funny, and I know you hear it all the time, but you get excited when you win, you’re disappointed when you lose. There’s no in between.”
Rather than celebrate the come-from-behind win against Queensland in game one, Daley had to listen to fans and experts discuss how the Blues got lucky against the Maroons who were reduced to 12 players after the 57th minute send-off of Kalyn Ponga.
Some officials at NSW Rugby League headquarters privately asked if Queensland would have been treated the same way by their own had they won with an extra player.
The same officials described a report on Tuesday in News Corp about Daley’s inability to inspire the players as laughable.
Forward Cameron Murray sat on stage next to Daley and said: “He’s our coach, he’s our leader, and what he has done for the jersey, as a player and as a coach, it’s been incredible.
“We want to repay all that hard work as a playing group and get the win for him.”
Daley will become one of the main talking points at full-time, regardless if the Blues win and get the chance to chase their first cleansweep since 2000, or lose and be forced to save the series on Queensland soil, which they did in 2024.
The final face-off between Daley and Slater and the NSW and Queensland players on Tuesday was civil and even friendly.
Daley said Ethan Strange, a game-one standout when starting for the injured Mitchell Moses, would play, and likely come into the back row at some stage.
Maroons playmaker Cameron Munster spoke about forward Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and what it would be like to play in an Origin game just days after the death of his father, Fereti. Munster went through the same heartbreaking ordeal before game three last year.
“I know exactly how he’s feeling. You lose your mentor or an idol or role model in your family, especially your dad, it does take a heavy toll on you,” Munster said.
And Daley and Slater said they had no problems with Ashley Klein retaining the referee’s job, despite the fact he had a $400,000 gambling problem.
“I just hope Ash has the right support and people around him to help navigate him through the period he’s going through; we’ve got no issues with Ash being a part of the game tomorrow night,” Daley said.
Meanwhile, Chicago Bulls’ $100m man Josh Giddey made a cameo at the Blues’ captains run at the MCG, and made a point of hanging around to meet one of his favourite players, Nathan Cleary.
Giddey, a NSW fan, was on the same flight from Sydney to Melbourne on the weekend, and was invited into the Blues’ inner sanctum. He will join the players in the sheds on game night.
