Origin 2020: Brad Fittler’s NSW succession plan and NRL comeback admission
NSW coach Brad Fittler accepts he cannot lead the state forever, and has a strong opinion on who should take over when he goes.
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Craig Fitzgibbon is a ready-made NRL coach who sends NSW Origin players back to their respective clubs as even better players.
That’s the stunning endorsement from NSW coach Brad Fittler who has also identified his Origin assistants Danny Buderus and Fitzgibbon, as his potential heirs-apparent to the Blues head coaching role.
Fitzgibbon, the Roosters and Blues defensive coach, received a massive multimillion-dollar offer from St George-Illawarra to take over from former coach Paul McGregor earlier this year.
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The former Test, NSW Origin and Clive Churchill Medal winning forward, who also coached Country Origin, knocked back interest from the Warriors and Cowboys mid-year.
However, Fitzgibbon, 43, has so far ignored the overtures for an NRL job to continue his coaching development under Trent Robinson at the Roosters, seemingly waiting for his moment to take the next step.
Working and living in each others pockets throughout this Origin series inside the Blues bubble, Fittler gave a glowing appraisal of Fitzgibbon’s impact on the current NSW side.
“Fitzy’s (Fitzgibbon) a beauty. He takes his job so seriously,’’ Fittler said.
“Fitzy’s role is different to Bedsy’s but they are thorough. Fitzy does the defence and is without doubt ready to be a coach.
“They’re teaching these boys stuff to the point that anyone that comes into our camp goes away learning something, not necessarily from me, but because Fitzy is part of a good club.
“Bedsy‘s at Newcastle and they were a strong club this year. They’re just thorough people.
“Our players absolutely leave better players because of that, I’ve got no doubt about that.
“Fitzy has also had the benefit of being under Robbo. You look at Robbo’s impact on the Roosters … wow.
“The one thing the Roosters are, they are consistent. Them and Melbourne have set the tone for the last 10-years really.
“And you see that consistency in Fitzy’s approach to what we do here.”
On the verge of joining Phil Gould as the only coach to lead NSW to three consecutive series wins, Fittler’s future in charge of the Blues isn’t up for debate.
But just as he developed under former NSW Origin coach Laurie Daley, Fittler recognised that at some point his time would come to step down.
And who should replace him when that day comes?
“There’s a few blokes who are sitting there, like a Bedsy (Buderus) or a Fitzy, if they want to keep doing it,’’ Fittler said.
“I know they love it and would thrive on it.
“Mark O’Meley also, he has been a blessing as our COVID-19 officer in camp, but he’s also been a coach in our pathways system.
“He’s been working with the under-18s … I love ’Ogre’ coaching the kids, he’s certainly working hard to develop himself as a coach.’’
HOW BIG JACK COULD INFLUENCE NRL COACHING COMEBACK FOR FREDDY
Never play tennis days out from a big game.
That line, Brad Fittler says he learned from the greatest coach of all.
Big Jack Gibson.
“First advice he gave me,” Freddy recounts of the man who gifted not only his 1990 NSW Origin debut, but nickname.
“Jack sent us off for a day saying don’t play tennis or squash.”
Which at first, Fittler thought odd.
But what 18-year-old wouldn’t?
“Although it’s funny,” the NSW coach says, smile widening. “A couple of years later, leading into a semi-final, I was playing a game of tennis and twisted my ankle.
“I thought ‘Why didn’t I listen to Jack?’.”
Yet most of the time, Freddy listened.
“Not that he ever said much,” continues the man now looking to win his third straight Origin series on Wednesday night. “But when Jack did speak, it was gold. Always gold.”
Leaned against a rail at Morry Breen Oval Wyong, Fittler is revealing a little of the magic dust that now has him on the cusp of NSW Origin history.
That, and a potential NRL coaching return.
Indeed, if Fittler leads his Blues to a historic threepeat in Brisbane – carrying with him the words of several men, including Gibson – he will equal the record set by that other great mentor, Phil Gould.
Aka the greatest coach this State has ever had.
So what will a win make Fittler then?
“That’s for other people to talk about,” he shrugs.
OK, what chance then you would be up for a return to that NRL coaching furnace you left 11 years ago?
“I think so,” he says simply.
“Working with the elite players (at Origin level) is easier, without a doubt. They’re so motivated, their skill level is high.
“And I have great assistant coaches here is well. It’s the dream job.
“But it all comes down to Wednesday … that’s what the gig is about.”
Asked what he would do differently in an NRL return, Fittler continued: “You realise the importance of staff.
“Staff, recruiting, relationships with the club … I was very naive.”
NSW skipper James Tedesco says a return of Fittler to the NRL coaching ranks would be “cool”, while insisting his Origin methods would definitely transfer.
“Freddy works on feel, on confidence building,” he said.
“Gets us wanting to play for each other, for him, for the jersey.
“A big thing for Freddy has been bringing pride back into the NSW jersey.
“It was pretty lost 10 or so years ago when Queensland were dominating.
“So it’s all about playing for the jersey.”
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That, of course, and earthing — which Fittler says he took from Ron Willey.
Throw in too those tough Origin contact sessions he credits to Gus.
“Train your team so that they’re there at the end,” Fittler recounts of Gould’s advice. “So we train hard. That’s been our theory from day dot.”
But as from where exactly Fittler hangs on that coaching ancestry tree?
“I’d say a lot of it is Gus, who was there when I was very impressionable,” he says. “Ricky Stuart too at the back end.
“I also had some little touches of Jack Gibson that ring clear. I really enjoyed the minimal time I spent with him.”
But as for what the Supercoach would make of earthing?
“He’d handle the earthing,” Fittler laughs. “But I’m not sure about the music in camp.
“I reckon the music might get to Jack.”
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