Paul Kent: New South Wales coaching attitude that pushed Victor Radley away from State of Origin

Michael Maguire has kept one approach of Origin coaching the same as his predecessor, an approach Queensland discourages and one that already cost New South Wales a player Maguire would’ve craved, writes PAUL KENT.

Michael Maguire can’t guarantee a win as NSW coach any more than Billy Slater can as Queensland coach.

That said, though, the Blues have often fallen short of fan expectations in a way Queensland rarely has, which burns the britches, somewhat, and namely that is all about being tough to beat.

Yet there is merit in feinting with the left if you intend throwing the right, and so Maguire was at his vague best in Melbourne on Tuesday when the NRL launched the countdown to Origin I, to be played at the MCG in 50 days time.

For Maguire, it was all about what he alluded to.

“I’ll be different,” he said, smiling. “I’ll definitely be different.”

Asked how, he offered nothing.

“I’ll keep that to myself and the players.”

Billy Slater and Michael Maguire at the 2024 State of Origin Series Launch. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

The only clue came shortly after, when he referred to NSW as a town, and what it took to survive.

“It’s a town you need to be tough to live in,” he said.

“Being able to build a team around that space is something I’m looking forward to.

“And we’ve got to earn the right to be able to do that.”

Maguire’s intention is clear.

He is looking for character and toughness over talent, a Queensland essential.

“One thing I find at this level, as you know, they’re not far between the talent,” he said, “but it’s the character of the player that I’m really keen to learn and get a good understanding because building the character of the team is something that feels really important on where we are right now and in moving forward.”

Maguire is looking for character and toughness over talent. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

It is a change from more recent strategies, namely the holistic philosophy of earthing and mung beans Brad Fittler promoted.

If there is something else Fittler’s reign as Blues coach showed it is the necessity of not only a seasoned coach running the Blues operation but, equally as important, the need to have the dissenting voice in the room.

It should have taken only one person to suggest walking barefoot in the grass wasn’t going to improve their footy a whole hell of a lot, yet the Blues indulged it.

Fittler hand-picked his coaching staff and, by natural progression, it’s understandable to assume they were like-minded thinkers with similar assessments on players and game plans.

This is something Queensland closely guards against.

Queensland still has a selection panel.

Billy Slater encourages those around him to test his ideas. Picture: Mark Stewart

Slater will sit down with Gene Miles and Darren Lockyer and pick the team and their job is not so much to force Slater to take players they think should be in the team but to pressure test Slater’s ideas on who and why.

More recently Slater hosted a dinner with 28 players who had all played Origin, another six who had roles with the Maroons, such as 18th man, and another two the Maroons thought had earned the right to be there.

All were encouraged to offer their opinions on what Queensland needed and how they should go about achieving it.

Contrary opinions were encouraged.

NSW has not had a dissenting voice since Bob Fulton stopped working with Laurie Daley. An adviser far enough removed to have a different approach.

And so the Blues in recent years pushed down a line of thinking that might have been contrary to their best interests.

And as Fittler pushed talent above all else, often picking the wrong team, the likes of Victor Radley grew disaffected with constantly being overlooked and so, in a bid to play some kind of representative football, he declared allegiance to England.

Victor Radley was born in New South Wales but declared allegiance to England. Picture: Jan Kruger/Getty Images

That Radley is lost to NSW at a time when the new coach Maguire has come in looking for toughness and character to build his team around is one of the great shames in the modern game.

It might be time for head office to distance itself from this modern style of allowing coaches total control at the selection table.

They will argue that it is their coaching on the line so they should have the final say, but it is a flawed belief the moment the coach is not getting the decisions perfectly right.

And good players are suffering for it.

Radley is the kind of player Maguire is searching for.

He didn’t suit Fittler’s style and everybody was forced to go along with it. But now, with Fittler no longer in charge and Maguire looking for different qualities to choose his team around, the Blues have lost a good man who could get the job done.

When it comes to toughness and character Radley is on the top shelf.

Don’t say the Blues couldn’t use that, and they shouldn’t have to.