State of Origin: Origin intensity is where Michael Maguire truly shines

Michael Maguire’s eye-watering sprays and unmatched intensity have cost him jobs in ‘club land,’ but at representative level what causes fear for lesser players is exactly what the elite need to succeed.

Michael Maguire NSW Coach. Picture: Supplied

He’d heard – or watched, rather – of the wild tales from Tiger Town. Of course he was scared.

It was all a bit intimidating for NSW Blues centre Stephen Crichton, who, across his first-grade career, had worked with some of the most even-tempered and stoic coaches.

Ivan Cleary. Cameron Ciraldo. Brad Fittler. None of whom are known for their blow-ups.

Michael Maguire though? His eye-watering sprays and reputation for unmatched intensity were part of his lore long before the Fox Sports cameras recorded it all in a revealing documentary about the Wests Tigers.

So when he was announced as the new Blues coach to replace Fittler, you can forgive Crichton for being nervous.

“I was actually pretty scared of him before coming into camp,” Crichton says ahead of Wednesday’s State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium.

Maguire’s intensity is perfectly matched with State of Origin football. Picture: Getty Images

“But ever since coming into camp he’s probably been one of the best coaches I’ve worked with, the way that he gets his message across, he’s really passionate, and he gives that edge to the boys to go out and do that job properly.

“Just seeing the past videos of his sprays, it was pretty scary when I found out he was coach, but now being a part of it and seeing how he is game one, game two, and game three, you understand all he wants is the best thing for the state and the team. And he’s the number one person here who puts the state before himself and puts the team before himself as well.

“I’m really excited that he’s our coach.”

Passion can come across as unbridled anger, but in the right environment it works.

In the uniqueness of an Origin camp, it might be hitting just the right nerves.

Former Wests Tigers coach Michael Maguire lets rip in Fox League's Wild Wests documentary. SUPPLIED

BIG REPUTATION

Maguire copped a bit of heat for his portrayal in the documentary, which showed his attempt to lead a culture change at the Tigers during the 2021 NRL season.

Scenes of inspirational pre-game speeches and expletive laden post-match sprays with spit and hands flying confirmed a reputation that had preceded him after his six-year career at South Sydney.

It all fed into an external image of a coach that was too intense for the week-to-week grind of NRL, a hard-nosed style can only work for so long before players tune him out.

That was the theory that some say cost him his job at South Sydney in 2017, and then again at the Tigers (who have finished with consecutive wooden spoons since) in 2022.

But Crichton says the Blues coach could be misunderstood.

“He’s not soft, he has an expectation and that’s the expectation that we have to meet with Madge,” Crichton says.

“I’m just really excited that we get to play under him, and just for the culture that he’s bringing to the place and how connected he wants the boys to be as well.”

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

Maybe he just needs a captive audience.

Maguire had success over two seasons at Wigan, at Souths in his third year in the job, and then again as head coach of New Zealand over the past few years.

His specific brand of passion has guided the Kiwis to 12 wins from 18 games after he took over the job in 2018.

The most significant of which was a 30-0 win over Australia in the final of last year’s Pacific Championships, which was an enormous moment in New Zealand rugby league history.

It was the single biggest win against Australia in Kiwis history and also the heaviest loss the Kangaroos had suffered in 115 years.

It was also proved to be the perfect full-stop on his time as Kiwis coach before coming into the NSW Origin role, where he finds himself on the brink of more history.

After a disastrous game one in Sydney, NSW manhandled Queensland in game two in Melbourne for a 38-18 win to level the series.

Maguire wants his players to ‘bleed Blue’. Picture: Rohan Kelly

In a masterstroke, Maguire took all the heat off his players with the ‘glass houses’ dig which has reawakened the hatred between the states.

Which is what makes Origin so special in the first place.

But NSW haven’t won back-to-back games since 2021, and winning a decider at Suncorp Stadium is a huge task.

They also haven’t won a game three decider in Queensland since 2005, and the Maroons have won 10 of the last 13.

The Blues have done it just twice, in 1994 and 2005.

A 1999 decider finished in a draw.

As a venue, Suncorp Stadium is like Maguire himself. The intimidation factor is high.

Ferocious fans spewing venom in the cauldron, the weight of history, the fiery build up all leads up to this.

That kind of pressure excites the coach, though, and his eyes dance when he talks about it.

“What I have learnt over my coaching career is it is the same size field, and you’re going to get noise wherever you go,” Maguire says.

“We had noise [in Sydney]. We had noise in Melbourne.

“And we’re going to get plenty of noise [in Brisbane].

“It still always comes back to the same size field.

“You look at your team and what you do, that’s what this campaign is about. Because if we get what we’re doing right, then results always sort themselves out.”

FRESH START

His reputation as an intense human means his kindness can be overlooked.

He’s generous with his time. He is known quietly to give back to the community and has a way of making people feel important.

Crucially, straight from the Craig Bellamy school of coaching, he never asks anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself.

Prior to the Rabbitohs’ 2014 premiership triumph, star forward Sam Burgess recalled how Maguire completed every drill in an army camp alongside his players two years prior.

“I haven’t been able to run since,” Maguire said at the time.

“That was something we all did, my staff included. I’ve got a great staff. Everyone involved is willing to do what’s required.”

For Maguire’s coaching style to work, it’s not so much a change in personality as it is having the right environment to flourish.

Michael Maguire celebrates after winning the 2014 NRL Grand Final between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. Picture: Gregg Porteous

A decider at Suncorp Stadium is just another chance to perform under pressure.

Simple as that.

“I’ve seen everything in the game,” he says.

“But at the end of the day I’m very much about the players and what we’ll do, that’s the part that I’ve really enjoyed, just working with this group.

“When you’re talking to players at this level, the levels of conversations there, they’re awesome because they get it.

“They’re playing in this arena for a reason – because they’re the top of the tree. And when you talk, your levels are at the highest.

“How quickly they adapt, you can say something and the whole group will shift really quickly towards what you’re after.

“We’ve got quite a few leaders within their own clubs. They can shift really fast. You only need to give them a little bit and away they go.”

Nothing like the Tiger Town explosions, he reckons.