State of Origin 2022: Brad Fittler’s contract loophole that might stop him coaching in NRL
NSW coach Brad Fittler has a clause in his contract that could scupper hopes of luring him back to coach an NRL club.
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NSW coach Brad Fittler is about to go past Laurie Daley in the Blues’ record books and he may yet threaten Phil Gould after it emerged that he had a secret clause in his contract guaranteeing him another year in charge with a win in this year’s series.
Fittler, who has been linked with the Canterbury coaching job in recent weeks, has another season remaining on is contact with NSW but a series win either this year or next will automatically extend the deal into the 2024 season.
It means he will enter rarefied air as coach of the Blues. Fittler is about to take charge of his 13th game as NSW coach, having won seven of those games to boast a remarkable 58 per cent winning record.
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Only Ron Willey and Terry Fearnley boast a better record.
By the end of this year’s series Fittler will draw alongside Daley on 15 games at the helm of the Blues. That just leaves Gould, who coached NSW on 24 occasions over two stints in charge. Should Fittler see out this year and next, he will become the first NSW coach to take charge for six series in succession.
He may yet be there for longer given he has a trigger in his deal factoring in the 2024 season on the proviso that he lifts the Origin shield again either this year or next.
The wildcard in it all may be Fittler’s own aspirations. He has never hidden his desire to once again challenge himself at club level and there have been recent links to the job at Canterbury, where his long-time ally Gould has been charged with finding a new head coach.
Gould’s patient approach to finding a new coach for the Bulldogs has fuelled suspicions that Fittler is being seriously considered for the role. In the short-term, his challenge is to continue the ice vein of success he has enjoyed so far at the helm of NSW.
Fittler heads into this year’s series with a new challenge in the form of Nine Network colleague and Queensland coach Billy Slater, whose rise to take the reins of the Maroons has brought with it a wave of optimism north of the border.
Slater’s tactical acumen is well known in rugby league circles and he has been a regular contributor to the Melbourne attack in recent years. However, he is untried as a head coach and he will dip his toe into the water on the biggest stage of them all.
Fittler won’t be underestimating his Origin counterpart.
“If I underestimated him, I would have just started thinking about it this week,” Fittler said.
“So preparation has been going for a while. His heart is in the right place. He loves Queensland. He is all about the team and the game.
“That’s what makes good competition.”
Like Fittler, Slater has been linked with a stint in club coaching amid speculation he was among the favoured candidates to replace Craig Bellamy at Melbourne when he opts to stand down at the helm of the Storm.
Asked what he expected from Slater, Fittler said: “It will come out in the game. You know they will be well prepared, they will have some really good trick plays.
“He is a very thorough bloke.”
Matterson’s Origin debut 100 years in the making
-Dean Ritchie
It’s the State of Origin debut 100 years in the making.
Built through a long bloodline of rugby league pedigree.
And part of the reason why Ryan Matterson’s father, Paul, has declared: “He’s ready — this is his time.”
The Daily Telegraph has unearthed the Mattersons’ extraordinary family tree, that branches out so wide it would match any in rugby league.
Matterson will start from the bench for NSW next Wednesday night when they kick off their Origin shield defence against Queensland at Accor Stadium, in a debut that comes after seven seasons in the NRL.
But Matterson’s journey dates back even further. To 1922.
“I owe everything to my family. This game is for them,” an emotional Matterson said of his mum, Sondra, dad, Paul, and brother, Dean, a back-rower, plays for Canterbury’s feeder club, Mounties.
Paul Matterson, now 57, played two first grade games at fullback for Eastern Suburbs in 1986 under coach Arthur Beetson.
He has two brothers. Terry was a tough lock who played 156 games for Brisbane, 10 matches for Easts and an Origin for NSW in 1989. Greg, the current coach of the Newtown Jets, was a halfback in the Group Six competition.
Ryan’s grandfather, Charlie, played for Parramatta while his great-grandfather, also named Charlie, represented Western Suburbs.
The first Matterson to play first grade was Neil, who debuted for Wests in 1922.
His brother, Frank “Dutchy” Matterson, played for the Magpies in 1924 before another brother, Jack, came into first grade with Wests in 1928. Frank won a premiership for Wests in 1930, the NSWRL’s first ever grand final and he represented NSW in 1929.
According to his father, Ryan Matterson has taken his own long road to become an Origin player.
“This is Ryan’s time,” Paul Matterson said. “Sometimes you wonder if you’re ready, but he’s ready. This is the right time.
“He’s played nearly 140 premiership games and has won a premiership with the Roosters. He’s confident in his own ability.
“I’m very proud of him, I always have been. He has worked so hard over the years. It can be a rollercoaster for an NRL player but he just wanted to be the best footballer he can be. He has sacrificed so much. He eats the right foods, trains that hard and does all the extras.
“Sometimes things don’t go your way but you just have to get back on your bike and go again. Playing junior football, he didn’t get a lot of breaks. He didn’t make development squads so I think he’s grateful to finally get the opportunity to play with the Blues. He is so excited.
“We are a close-knit family. My father (Charlie) came from a rugby league family so I don’t know anything different – I just support the boys as much as I could.”
Ryan Matterson spoke passionately about the sacrifices his family have made to ensure a successful rise through the NRL.
“It is going to mean a lot to me but I think it will mean so much to my family. I do this for my family. They have made so many sacrifices for me, especially my mum, dad and brother,” Ryan said.
“When I go on that football field, I just know I will be doing them proud. They are the reasons behind my success as a footballer and a person. I owe everything to them. This is for them.
“They drove me around, they go to the majority of my games, they watch the game, they will then watch a replay, critique me on how I could be better. During the highs and lows, they are always there. I remember when I had two wrist operations and my mum was bathing me, feeding me, she did everything.
“My dad took me to all my trials, he’s taken me to ‘woop-woop’ for rugby league, touch football, absolutely everything. They are always there as number one supporters but also as my number (critics) as well and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“They tell me if I’m not playing up to scratch or if I’m not my best version of myself. Everything I do is because of them and all my successes are because of them.”
Matterson said Sondra was his greatest supporter - but also a robust critic.
“My mum is a massive footy head, obviously because my dad played first grade. She has been through all the games with him. She’s learnt, it’s like having two dads when it comes to football. It’s unbelievable,” he said.
“I want to do everything I can to show my respects to them, to show my gratitude, really. This means so much to me but it affects the people around me so much more. When my dad goes to work, people will be saying to him ‘congratulations’. He deserves that.”
Matterson’s form this year for Parramatta has been stellar and he’s certain to be given healthy game time against Queensland.
“I am excited to take the field – I am blessed to be here. I know I will do my role. Just being in this camp, I feel grateful. I feel very chilled, grounded and very blessed to be here,” he said.
“Looking at the quality of players around me, it’s pretty surreal. It’s pretty cool. It’s been good seeing the boys again and getting amongst it.”
‘SPECIAL MOMENT’: TEDDY’S BIZARRE ORIGIN FIRST
—Brent Read
NSW captain James Tedesco led the Blues into battle three times in Queensland last year. The year before – his first as NSW captain – Accor Stadium was only half full due to Covid restrictions.
This time round, he wants to feel the hot breath of 80,000 screaming New South Welshman on the back of his neck as the Blues prepare to kick off their defence of the Origin shield on home soil next week.
“That will be a very special moment,” Tedesco said.
“I remember running behind Boydy (former NSW captain Boyd Cordner in 2019) and 2020 was good with what capacity it was.
“But a full crowd packed full of Blues, we missed that last year. We didn’t get to do that at all. Playing three games up there (in Queensland) was pretty tough.
“I am hoping we get as much support as possible out there and get a win.”
Tedesco took over the captaincy of the Blues after game one of the 2020 series and has led the side to three wins through his opening five games.
Most of those games have been on foreign turf, hence his desire to lead the Blues into battle at the home of NSW.
“It is exciting this time of year,” Tedesco said.
“You don’t want to think about Origin but when you are in camp, you definitely feel that excitement. It (Captaincy) probably means more to me now that I am comfortable in that role, especially defending our win from last year.
“It will be our first game leading them out to a full crowd in Sydney – we didn’t get the last year at all and in 2020 it was a half-crowd.
“That will be a pretty special moment to run out before a packed crowd in Sydney.”
It is understood ticket sales for the opening game of the series are tracking towards a crowd of close to 80,000 as NSW fans prepare to pay homage to a squad that has won the of the past four series.
Tedesco has been at the heart of that success and he has quickly become sounding board for coach Brad Fittler, the pair discussing the make-up of the Blues squad prior to the team announcement on Sunday night.
Significantly, two of Tedesco’s Roosters teammates were surprise selections – Daniel Tupou on the wing and teenager Joseph Suaalii in the extended squad.
There were also shock omissions and Tedesco felt their pain as much as anyone. He has been a long-time NSW teammate of Jake Trbojevic and Josh Addo-Carr, and acknowledged leaving them out was a difficult decision for all concerned.
“I messaged Jakey to see how he was holding up,” Tedesco said.
“I think every team I have been in he has been in apart from injury. He is going through tough times seeing Manly (struggle) and the Tommy (Trbojevic) injury as well.
“That’s how it goes sometimes. He is a great guy to have around camp. I have played most of the games with Foxxy as well.
“They are two great guys I will miss in camp but that is how it is sometimes.”
Tedesco has no time to dwell on who won’t be there. He and the rest of the NSW side have an immense challenge on their hands against a Queensland side stacked with players from form sides, and led by Maroon legend Billy Slater.
“The Queensland teams are all going pretty good, which is probably where they weren’t at last year,” he said.
“Look at our team as well – we have a pretty good team. Half our team is full of Penrith which is good because they are winning for fun.”
Originally published as State of Origin 2022: Brad Fittler’s contract loophole that might stop him coaching in NRL
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