NRL 2023: New Zealand Kiwis coach Michael Maguire on the verge of signing on with NSW Blues
After thrashing Mal Meninga’s Kangaroos, Michael Maguire will be adding Billy Slater to his hit list, with the NZ Kiwis coach set to take over the NSW Blues.
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Kiwi Test coach one week. NSW State of Origin coach the next.
Life with one foot in both camps is about to begin for head coach Michael Maguire.
The unprecedented scenario is on the verge of finally being rubber-stamped with Maguire proving his commitment to a nervous NZRL board by leading New Zealand to a dominant 30-0 Pacific Championships final humiliation of Australia.
The NZRL board were far from thrilled when this masthead broke the news, ahead of the Pacific Championships commencing three weeks ago, of Maguire’s verbal agreement to coach the Blues in 2024.
Playing his cards smart, Maguire responded to the press by refusing to discuss the story publicly, while declaring his focus on preparing the Kiwis for a successful campaign.
The NSWRL also told Maguire they would leave him to complete his Kiwis duties before meeting again.
With a superb win over Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga in his pocket, Maguire can now turn his focus to taking over from former Blues coach Brad Fittler and usurping Maroons coach Billy Slater.
Maguire is set to fly back to Sydney on Monday ahead of a meeting with the NSWRL where his deal to coach the Blues in 2024 is set to be finally signed and sealed.
The NSWRL are content to allow Maguire to continue coaching the Kiwis, with his contract with NSW running through until the final game of the 2024 series in July.
The task of coaching two of the game’s elite representative sides at the same time has never previously been attempted by a head coach.
The NZRL are yet to confirm if they are comfortable with Maguire being occupied by the role of coaching the Blues.
But undeniably Saturday’s emphatic victory is a major statement of commitment from Maguire.
One casualty of Maguire’s promotion to the Blues head coaching role will be his job as Raiders assistant coach.
The Canberra board are unwilling to allow Maguire to juggle all three roles and will commence the search for a new assistant coach for Ricky Stuart once the Blues position is formally ratified this week.
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Originally published as NRL 2023: New Zealand Kiwis coach Michael Maguire on the verge of signing on with NSW Blues
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