‘It’s an advantage’: Gorden Tallis’ wild Michael Maguire Origin conspiracy theory
Maroons legend Gorden Tallis has been called out after he pushed an audacious conspiracy theory as the Origin mind games begin.
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The State of Origin mind games are already well underway.
With the game’s biggest stars in training ahead of the June 5 series opener at Accor Stadium, footy fans generally survive on drips and drabs of information coming out of the camps.
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Harry Grant’s mystery illness meaning he missed day one of Maroons training raised a few eyebrows — although it was reported he was sidelined with a stomach bug.
Although it’s a story NSW fans have heard countless times before, there’s little doubt Grant will be fit for game time, where he’s set to come off the bench in tandem with named started hooker Ben Hunt.
There’s nothing Queenslanders love more than an underdog story and every season any Maroons talking head denies the side are favourites — and somehow keep a straight face.
Even this year, it’s been all the talk despite the huge injury toll for the Blues that Queenslanders want to be the underdogs.
Speaking on Fox League’s NRL 360 on Tuesday night, Gorden Tallis tried the most audacious bid of all, highlighting a question raised by Queenslanders that Michael Maguire’s role with referees in 2018.
“It’s got to be a little bit of a concern (Maguire’s history with the coaches),” Tallis said.
“We watched Madge last night talk about … that he met Joey (Suaali’i) when he was a 13-year-old and so there’s a relationship with him.
“So you wouldn’t know the strengths and the weaknesses, wouldn’t you as the coach? If you’re the coach of the referees would you know the strengths and the weaknesses of the referees?
“If you coach the referees, you think you’d have a good relationship with them?”
The rest of the panel wasn’t buying it however.
Braith Anasta replied: “In 2018?”
Tallis continued: “It doesn’t matter. Would you know their strengths and weaknesses?”
Anasta: “But what does that matter? So you’re saying he shouldn’t be allowed to coach NSW because he coached the referees?”
Tallis: “I’m not saying that. I think it’s an advantage and I think that there’s no doubt that a Queenslanders sit there and go ‘well if you’d coach someone, you know their strengths and weaknesses’. And as a Queensland, does it worry me? No.”
The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Crawley added Panthers coach Ivan Cleary to the mix, as he was hired as a referees consultant in 2016.
Tallis replied: “You guys whinged about Barry Gomersall 20 years after he retired.”
Crawley: “It’s a stretch Gordy.”
Tallis: “It’s true though.”
Crawley: “It’s not true — Ivan Cleary was the referees coach when he was out of work …”
Tallis: “And who’s winning the comps. And who’s bending the rules most in the competition.”
Anasta sounded like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“The referee’s need a coach at some point,” Anasta said. “So if you referee the coaches, you’re not allowed to coach again?”
Tallis added: “I just threw it out there. Do you know the style and what do you can get away with.
“When I got refereed by Bill Harrigan, I knew what I could get away with. There’s no doubt. I knew what you can get away with different referees.
“So if you’re the coach, you know, what their strengths and weaknesses are.”
Anasta argued that Billy Slater would have a good idea what his side could get away with depending on the referee as well.
But Riccio had heard enough, calling out Tallis for what he was trying to do.
“Gordy, as a proud Queenslander, I can see, with you bringing this up and planting the seed right now one week before kick-off, you know what you’re doing,” Riccio said. “You’re planting the seed for Queensland to get the rub of the green for Origin I.”
Tallis added he’d only just heard it on radio before giving it a megaphone on TV.
He also added that former referee Bill Harrigan had sent Tallis off despite the hulking forward being his son’s favourite player.
Bizarrely, Tallis finished the segment off saying: “It doesn’t matter. The referee is there to do his job.”
Anasta said: “It’s already started.”
Tallis: “What have I started?”
Riccio: “You know exactly. You’re trying to get the rubber the green next Wednesday night in Sydney.”
Tallis: “Will we get it?”
For the record, Maguire was South Sydney coach from the 2012 season until September 2017.
He was then signed as the referee’s high performance coach by the NRL.
It lasted just a year as he then joined the Wests Tigers for the 2019 season until he was sacked mid-season in 2022.
The Tigers finished ninth in 2019, 11th in 2020, 13th in 2021 and as wooden spooners in 2022, the season Maguire was sacked mid-year.
Even for Queensland conspiracies, this is a long bow.
Fans were quick to slam the theory.
One wrote it was “Pure garbage”.
Originally published as ‘It’s an advantage’: Gorden Tallis’ wild Michael Maguire Origin conspiracy theory