‘Done absolutely nothing’: Blues coach defends captain call

NSW skipper Jake Trbojevic has copped a wave of criticism surrounding his captaincy of the side after playing just 83 minutes in the series.

Blues coach Michael Maguire has hit back at the criticism around captain Jake Trbojevic. Picture: Getty

NSW coach Michael Maguire has come out in defence of his decision to make Jake Trbojevic after the skipper was pulled from the field just 23 minutes into Wednesday night’s decider.

Trbojevic’s short performance in the Blues 14-4 win brought his total minutes to 83 out of the 240-minute series, with fans taking to social media to express their confusion with the decision.

“Jake Trbojevic is the luckiest skipper we’ve ever had. Done absolutely nothing the whole series and will lift the shield,” one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Jake Trbojevic is that kid who does nothing in the group assignment but still gets an A,” another said.

NSW captain Jake Trbojevic leaves the hotel after winning last night’s State of Origin. Picture: NewsWire

Blues coach Michael Maguire has hit back at criticism surrounding captain Jake Trbojevic. Picture: Getty

However, Maguire was quick to defend his captain in the post-game press conference, praising Trbojevic’s for his impact on the team off the field.

“People probably ask – I had a lot of you guys actually ask – about Jake being captain,” the first-year Blues coach said.

“It’s the glue, it’s the special parts in and around the team that people don’t get to see.

“I wanted Jake as our captain because of his character, the players love him – they just had another special moment in there where they all cheered him.

“I felt Jake was the man that I wanted to run the team, so it was nice to see.”

Trbojevic played just 23 minutes in game three. Picture: NRL Photos

Post-game, the Manly vice-captain said captaining the Blues would be a “highlight” of his career.

“It feels pretty cool, I’m just really excited for everyone. It was a lot of hard work that went into this campaign and you’ve got to give credit to Madge and all the staff,” he said.

“It’s a real good life experience for us all and everyone bought into it. The way they went after the game today was impressive … they were just outstanding.”

The NSW captain lifted the shield on Wednesday night. Picture: Getty

It didn’t take long for fans to begin speculating about who they would like to see captain the Blues next year – with Stephen Crichton proving a frontrunner.

“Could definitely see Stephen Crichton as future Blues captain, always stands up in the big games,” one X user wrote.

“From what I saw on and off the field tonight, Stephen Crichton gotta be the Blues captain long term,” another said.

Originally published as ‘Done absolutely nothing’: Blues coach defends captain call