State of Origin 2022: How Billy Slater put together a coaching dream team for Maroons
There have been legends involved at every turn in Billy Slater’s Origin coaching build-up — but the greatest praise has been reserved for the debut Maroons mentor.
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Forget Cameron Munster, Kalyn Ponga and Harry Grant.
Queensland’s most dangerous weapons may not be on the field at Accor Stadium in Wednesday night’s State of Origin series-opener.
Instead, the Maroons’ dream team will be sitting in the coaches’ box, running water and delivering pre-game messages. In fact, they have been plotting a blue boilover for months.
New Queensland coach Billy Slater has assembled one of the most star-studded support staff teams ever seen in State of Origin.
With 31 games of Origin clout behind him, and the respect of the greatest figures in the game’s history, Slater has pulled together a crew of Maroons legends.
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After replacing one-series coach Paul Green, Slater quickly went about securing the assistant maybe only he could have nailed – Cameron Smith.
Smith, the most experienced Origin player ever with 42 games for Queensland, is notoriously picky with his projects, but couldn’t turn down his great Melbourne Storm mate Slater when it came to rescuing the Maroons after last year’s disastrous series.
Slater showed faith in some of Green’s incumbents by retaining 37-game legend Johnathan Thurston and 32-game hardman Nate Myles, but axed mastermind Neil Henry.
Instead, he brought in one of the NRL’s current star assistant coaches in Josh Hannay, also a former Queensland player, to handle the technical aspect of the Maroons’ game plan.
Maroons halfback legend Allan Langer will be running messages while Slater invited Greg Inglis into Camp Maroon to impart his Origin knowledge on debutant Selwyn Cobbo.
Throw in an address from arguably the greatest Origin player ever in Wally Lewis on day one of camp and Slater has had Queensland’s most influential players involved at every step.
Captain Daly Cherry-Evans said the best part about Slater’s dream team was that they didn’t intimidate the current crop of Maroons.
“To me, they are our coaching staff,” he said.
“They’ve been really easy to talk to. I don’t think they’ve overplayed their hand.
“They’re just trying to make sure we are prepared. They are ex-players so they understand it’s about the players, not the coaching staff.
“That’s the selflessness that helped them win eight straight (series). They’re willing to make sure the players are ready.
“They are there to provide a platform for that to happen.”
The Maroons won 11 of 12 series from 2006-17, with coach Mal Meninga overseeing a decade of dominance which included nine wins, and eight straight, from 2006-15.
Now Kangaroos coach, Meninga made a brief appearance in Camp Maroon early in the week after enjoying so much success with the likes of Slater, Smith, Thurston, Inglis and Myles in his teams.
Centre Dane Gagai, who will line up for his 20th straight Origin game, remembers the impact Meninga’s all-star players had. Now they are doing the same with the new generation.
“I remember sitting down in the back of a room in 2015 when I was making my Origin debut,” Gagai said.
“I was listening to them speak in the meeting and I was thinking ‘far out, this team doesn’t even need a coach’.
“Mal was coaching at the time but they came up with a game plan and said everything then turned to Mal and asked him if it sounded all right. Mal said ‘sounds good to me’.
“After all of that, Mal got up and spoke and I realised what he does. He could have pointed at a brick wall and told me I could have run through it and I would have believed him.
“Billy has that same sort of aura about him. He is a very passionate Queenslander.
“He is surrounded by a lot of great players who know what it takes to win Origin. I have been picking their brains about how I can be better.
“They are the type of people where you can hear a pin drop when they speak. You take in everything they say. They instil confidence in the group.
“They’ve been putting confidence and belief in the four guys that are making their debuts. They know they are here for a reason and they’ve earnt this jersey. It’s about executing now.”
There has been a noticeable difference in Slater’s approach to coaching in his first series in charge.
The Maroons have held multiple high-intensity opposed training sessions and have enjoyed plenty of down time at Sanctuary Cove to ensure they are mentally fresh.
Ahead of his sixth Origin series, hooker Ben Hunt said he had never experienced such intricate coaching in Camp Maroon.
“All the coaches bring a wealth of knowledge,” he said.
“Their attention to detail with everything has been through the roof. It’s probably something I haven’t seen before in an Origin camp, their detail with everything.
“Smithy knows a lot about the game and has some good pointers for all the boys out there. He comes up to you and says tiny little things you don’t even think about.
“Once he mentions them you think ‘oh yeah, that makes sense, I’ll try that’. He notices a lot of things he can help you out with.
“The more those guys can help us, the better.”
QLD’S MASTER PLAN TO SINK BLUES IN GAME ONE
Maroons assistant coach Cameron Smith has given Ben Hunt and Harry Grant a licence to thrill as Queensland’s hooking duo formulate a plan to destroy NSW at the ruck in Origin I.
Smith, the greatest hooker in history, has been specifically working with Hunt and Grant in Camp Maroon and believes their one-two punch at dummy half can terrorise the Blues on Wednesday night at Accor Stadium.
If there are two Maroons the Blues have struggled to muzzle in recent years, it is Grant and Hunt.
Melbourne rake Grant produced one of the greatest Origin debuts in history in the 2020 decider, carving up NSW in midfield before scoring the solo try from dummy-half that sealed Queensland’s series triumph.
Hunt, meanwhile, was Queensland’s player of the series last season, headlined by his two-try, man-of-the-match display at hooker which inspired the Maroons’ face-saving 20-18 victory in Game Three.
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Hunt and Grant have been in sizzling touch this season - the Dragons playmaker leads the Dally M count - and Smith has urged the dynamic duo to attack the Blues up the middle.
“Cam has got into me and Harry about backing our running games,” said Hunt, who will start at hooker in the 2022 series opener.
“You don’t get a lot of fast play-the-balls in Origin but when you do you need to take advantage of them.
“He is really encouraging us to do that.
“Cam brings a wealth of knowledge into camp. All the coaches do, really. Their attention to detail with everything has been through the roof.
“It’s probably something I haven’t seen before in an Origin camp, their detail with everything.
“’Smithy’ knows a lot about the game and has some good pointers for all the boys out there.
“The more the coaches can help us, the better.”
Grant was expected to start in the No.9 jumper, but Maroons selectors opted to deploy him off the bench as the Storm schemer recovers from the flu and a minor groin injury.
However, rookie Queensland coach Billy Slater is mindful of the impact Grant had in the 2020 series decider when he entered the fray later in the first half and tore the Blues to shreds.
“That debut from Harry gives me confidence he can come on and impact the game,” Slater said.
“He was at his ultimate best that day.
“I know Harry really well and he will do a good job no matter when you put him on or where you put him.
“He is a real competitor and we have a luxury that we have some versatility with Ben Hunt, he covers a few different positions.”
There is a possibility Hunt and Grant could be on the park at the same time in Origin I, with the former tipped to have a stint at lock when the latter slots into dummy-half.
That tactical ploy could give the Maroons five playmakers to keep the Blues defence guessing in attack.
“I think we’re both going to be playing a fair bit of footy on Wednesday night,” Hunt said.
“Billy hasn’t told us exactly how it’s going to pan out, but I’m pretty sure he has a big role for Harry who is in excellent form for his club.
“He is going to be out there a fair bit.
“There’s plenty of things to like, there’s strike all through our spine from Kalyn (Ponga) at the back to myself and Harry coming off the bench.”
MAROONS DUO BACK TOGETHER TO PULL APART THE BLUES
—Travis Meyn
Maroons dynamic duo Ben Hunt and Harry Grant are ready to rekindle a 20-year-old relationship and blitz the Blues in Wednesday’s Origin series opener.
Hunt and Grant will form a deadly dummy-half rotation for the first time in the Origin arena when Queensland takes on NSW at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
It was the early 2000s when Hunt was making a name for himself in the Rockhampton region playing for the Yeppoon Seagulls under-14s.
Hunt’s coach at the time was Paul “Piggy” Grant, who had a young son named Harry that dreamt of playing rugby league for Queensland one day.
Harry, aged seven, would hang around at Seagulls training sessions and couldn’t resist trying to tackle the big kids, including his idol Hunt.
“It’s a funny one,” Hunt said. “I remember Harry coming to our training when he was seven or eight and trying to tackle us all.
“It’ll be a pretty special night for us to run out and play the same position.”
Grant doesn’t dispute the story.
“My old man used to coach him (Hunt) and I was the (kicking) tee boy at training,” Grant said. “I tried to take him on a bit. I’ve always looked up to him. I would have been six or seven years old then and he was carving teams up.
“I have followed him very closely since, so to play in a Queensland jersey together is special. He’s got a lot of experience and when you look at all the performances he’s put in for Queensland, he typifies a Queensland player.
“We go back a bit to the same school (St Brendan’s) and I remember looking up to him as a little kid. I have always looked up to him.
“It will be pretty cool to go out in a Queensland jersey with him.”
Grant jetted into Camp Maroon on Wednesday after overcoming a severe bout of the flu in Melbourne.
He missed the Storm’s last game with a groin injury, but is adamant he will be 100 per cent by Wednesday night when he comes off the bench in his third Origin game.
Grant, 24, made his Maroons debut off the bench in the famous 2020 decider, playing an integral role in Queensland’s series-winning victory when he caught the Blues napping numerous times.
That impact was hard to ignore for new Queensland coach Billy Slater, who will start the dependable Hunt in the No.9 jersey and then inject Grant from the interchange.
“It was a good move by Billy to leave me out of camp for the first two days,” Grant said. “I was able to get over the flu and get my groin right.
“I know all that stuff’s behind me and I can focus on Wednesday night.
“I’ve just got to go out there and play simple. We’ve got a lot of special players in the team. We need to combine well this week and get used to each other’s games.
“It’s a different role but I played the majority of last year off the bench. I’ll take a bit out of last season and try put that into the Origin arena.
“I want to keep a simple mindset for the game and if the opportunity comes to run then I will run. (Before my debut) I left it right until kick-off to ask Wayne (Bennett, coach) what my role was and when I’d get on the field. I didn’t want to overdo it during the week.
“He told me I’d go on after about 20 minutes and hopefully finish the game. I was pacing up and down the sideline for the first 20 minutes. When I got on … it was a dream to play State of Origin and do it in front of a home crowd in a decider.”
Hunt has rarely let the Maroons down in an 11-game Origin career that has seen him claim the Ron McAuliffe Medal as Queensland’s player of the series twice (2019 and 21).
He goes into the game leading the Dally M Medal count at the halfway point of the NRL season and while he was surprised to get the starting jersey, Hunt is ready to repay Slater’s faith.
“I was a bit surprised to be honest with the way Harry’s been playing,” Hunt said. “Hopefully I can take some sting out of the game and Harry can come in and do his work.”
Maroons star ready to be most hated man in NSW
Maroons prop Lindsay Collins is prepared to be public enemy No. 1 in NSW by becoming Queensland’s new Nate Myles.
Collins will return to the Origin arena for the first time since 2020 in Wednesday’s series-opener against the Blues at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
It will be Collins’ fourth appearance for Queensland after he was one of Wayne Bennett’s unsung heroes in the miraculous 2020 series victory.
Collins, 26, missed the entire 2021 series due to a knee injury, but has bounced back with solid club form for the Roosters to earn selection on Queensland’s bench under new coach Billy Slater.
CHOOSE YOUR MAROONS TEAM FOR GAME ONE HERE
And now he wants to follow in the footsteps of one of his idols – 32-game Maroons great Myles.
Myles was one of Queensland’s most important players during the state’s decade of dominance from 2006-17 and featured in an incredible 11 series wins in 12 years.
But he also became one of the most despised figures south of the Tweed due to the uncompromising, and line-toeing, way he played the game.
Myles got under the skin of the Blues on many occasions, none more so than when NSW captain Paul Gallen unleashed the infamous one-two combination of punches in 2013 that brought an end to fighting in the NRL.
While Collins is somewhat of a gentle giant off the field, he wants to bring a tough edge to Queensland’s forward pack like Myles, who is part of Slater’s support staff in Camp Maroon.
“Nate did a lot in the Origin arena,” Collins said.
“To have him here is great. We have never formally met before so it’ll be good to spend a bit of time with him and have a chat with him.
“He was just tough and that’s what Origin’s built on – being as tough as nails and not backing down. It wasn’t the flashy stuff for Nate, but as a front-rower you love seeing that.
“My head’s probably not as hard as his but I’ve got a few bumps and scratches. I’m not doing myself any favours.”
At 194cm and 106kg, Collins will bring plenty of size when he comes off the bench for the Maroons in Game One.
He has been averaging 95m and 30 tackles per game for the Roosters in his comeback from a knee reconstruction, highlighting his willingness to get the defensive dirty work done in the middle.
While Collins featured in all three games of the 2020 series, he wasn’t confident about earning a recall this year given Queensland’s strong forwards depth and wants to solidify his spot in the 17.
“I’m very excited to be here,” Collins said.
“I was sweating on a call for a bit. Billy didn’t call me until late (Sunday night).
“I’d come to terms that maybe it wasn’t happening, but I got the call in the end.
“You want to be involved but that’s footy sometimes, there is injuries and whatnot. It was hard watching from the couch last year but I knew I wanted to be back here. It gave me a bit of motivation to put in the work and I’m back.
“There is always pressure when you put an Origin jersey on. There are guys that aren’t in this camp but probably deserve to be here.
“There is a long list of Queenslanders who want a piece of this jersey. Once you get in, you’ve got to keep performing and making them pick you.
“You’ve got to earn it.”
Maroons rookie to launch aerial assault
Maroons debutant Jeremiah Nanai has revealed a volleyball background is the secret behind his freakish try-scoring record as Queensland prepares to pepper the Blues with an aerial assault.
Nanai will be unleashed from the bench in Wednesday week’s State of Origin series-opener against NSW at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
At 19, the Cowboys backrower has been thrust into a Maroons baptism following just 16 NRL games since making his debut last year.
Nanai’s athletic ability proved too hard to resist for rookie Queensland coach Billy Slater.
The freakish forward has scored 10 tries in 12 games for the Cowboys this year, with the first eight of those four-pointers coming from kicks.
Nanai has an uncanny ability to outpoint his opponents in the air, regularly snatching bombs to score in what has become a unique weapon for North Queensland.
The Cairns product credits playing volleyball at Trinity Bay High School for his aerial acrobatics and has urged Maroons halves Daly Cherry-Evans and Cameron Munster to utilise his talents.
“I played a variety of sports,” Nanai said.
“I played volleyball and I’ll put it down to that. I loved playing volleyball. I liked to spike (the ball).
“At a young age I played backyard footy with my four brothers but my dad didn’t want me to play rugby league. He was pretty scared of me getting injured.
“One day my uncle asked my dad ‘can we just put him in a rugby league team?’. They went back and forth having an argument about it.
“I ended up getting my dad convinced I could play rugby league. I started to play at (Cairns) Kangaroos under-13s.
“I didn’t score many tries when I was young. It’s been crazy to get that many tries in the NRL.
“I’ve been competing for the ball and wanting to have the ball in my hands. Hopefully Munster and Cherry can put it up in the air and I can get there.”
The Maroons have aerial threats out wide with the selection of towering wingers Selwyn Cobbo (190cm) and Xavier Coates (194cm) prompting Blues coach Brad Fittler to drop proven performer Josh Addo-Carr (183cm) given he already has one short winger in Brian To’o (172cm).
But that’s not the only place NSW should be worried about being beaten in the air.
Queensland halfback Cherry-Evans said he would look to harness Nanai’s aerial ability once the youngster is injected into the action.
“Jeremiah is our X factor, I can’t wait to see what he brings in his debut,” Cherry-Evans said.
“He has been playing great footy for the Cowboys and what makes him dangerous is he provides different try-scoring opportunities for any team he plays in.
“He can break a game open in more ways than one and I can play a role in that.
“He has scored some unbelievable tries off kicks so I will be looking to put a few up in the air for him and watch him take off.”
After playing four NRL games in his rookie season last year, Nanai has exploded in 2022 to earn Origin selection.
He grew up idolising Queensland great Greg Inglis and now wants to emulate the incredible feats of “GI” in league’s toughest arena.
“Greg Inglis – I loved watching him play in Origin. He was one crazy player,” Nanai said.
“When I first started I played prop because I was probably the biggest player in the team. I ended up slowly moving to the side and the backline. I’m back in the forwards now.
“It feels great, surreal, crazy. I’m just grateful and blessed to be here.
“I didn’t think I was going to get here. I’m just grateful and so happy to be here.
“When I got the call from Billy saying I made the team, it was a crazy feeling.
“I’m just so happy.”
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