State of Origin 2024: NSWRL chairman Paul Conlon on Michael Maguire appointment, Brad Fittler exit

NSWRL chairman Paul Conlon has opened up on the exit of former Blues coach Brad Fittler, insisting he will ‘always’ remain a vital part of State of Origin for NSW.

NSWRL chairman and esteemed district court judge Paul Conlon on Michael Maguire's signing.

Just days after appointing Michael Maguire as the Blues State of Origin Coach, NSWRL chairman and esteemed District Court judge Paul Conlon tells David Riccio the details of Madge’s contract, why he got the job, Brad Fittler’s exit and reveals how NSW will bring down Queensland.

DR: Paul, can I start by asking, because this is yet to be declared publicly, how long is Madge’s contract with the Blues?

PC: “David, I’m sure you could appreciate that the specific terms of the contract will remain confidential. However, I can say that his coaching appointment is for 2024 and 2025 from March 1 until July, each year. It’s five-months each year. In addition to that, there is also a performance clause in the contract which may trigger a third year (2026) and hopefully beyond.”

NSWRL chairman and esteemed district court judge Paul Conlon on Michael Maguire's signing.

DR: Ultimately, what got Madge the job?

PC: “There was some feeling within the game that once Freddy (Brad Fittler) had declined to coach next year, there was a thought, well, who else is around? The fact is though, we were spoiled for choice. We had nine other expressions of interest. I am grateful for each of those for putting their name forward and I personally thanked them for that. But I have known Michael Maguire for some time, he’s a highly skilled coach and a high quality human being, who has runs on the board at every level of the game, be it Super League, NRL or Internationally. We all know State of Origin is probably the toughest sporting arena anywhere in the world and the board was very much at one, in respect of him being the right man to lead the Blues into this new era.”

Conlon admits they were spoiled for choice with options, but says the board was united in backing Michael Maguire as the new NSW coach.

DR: Is that the way Blues fans should see this. The beginning of a new era for NSW?

PC: It is. And that’s why we have been determined not to rush the process. The last six years (under Fittler), in my view, have been successful years. We haven’t always won, but we’ve certainly won half of those games and I know that as far as the fans are concerned, Origin is all about winning. But having said that, we’ve had Blues legends in control for the last six years with Freddy, Greg Alexander, Danny Buderus, Craig Fitzgibbon and Paul McGregor,

“So I knew that it was going to be a difficult task to replace that calibre of person. That’s why I was very intent on taking our time with the process.”

DR: You’re yet to comment on this. Why did you have no issue with Madge attempting to also coach the Kiwis?

PC: “No, that’s right, we didn’t have an issue with it. As you would recall, news broke that Madge was the favourite for NSW while he was in camp with New Zealand (last month). However, due to the timing of that news, he needed time to talk to his New Zealand employers about it, but also the opportunity to come back to Sydney after the Pacific Championships to present to the board his vision for NSW. That took place and then we gave him time to go back and talk to the NZRL board. From our point of view, we saw no difficulty at all, but it looks like New Zealand saw it differently, but that’s a matter for them.”

DR: You’ve mentioned Freddy a couple of times now. There a perception that there is tension between the NSWRL board and Freddy? What do you say about that? And also, with everything that Freddy has done for rugby league in NSW, would you consider asking that he return in some capacity with the NSWRL?

PC: “I sincerely hope that merely because Freddy will not be coaching next year that he nevertheless will always be an absolutely vital part of State of Origin as we move forward into the coming years. The Brad Fittler medal isn’t going away. It will be there forever. That’s an example of the high regard the board has for Freddy. You can imagine the sense of achievement and prestige for a player to be presented that award by Freddy himself.” It will be there forever. That’s an example of the high regard that the board has for Freddy and will always continue to do so.”

Conlon says the NSWRL never intended to disrespect Freddy after offering him a part-time coaching role. Picture: Getty Images

DR: There’s a suggestion that Freddy felt disrespected by the NSWRL board when you only offered him a part-time role for 2024, as opposed to his six years of being a full-time employee of the NSWRL. How do you respond to that?

PC: “Our decision to move the role into a part-time role from a full-time role was never intended to be a slight on Freddy.

“It was the feeling of the board that it would be better for the role to go back to it being a part time position from March to July. We fully expect that in the future anyone involved as a coach or assistant coach will most likely be involved in other positions for the remainder of the year.’’

DR: Is the overriding factor, in the position only being a five-month job, based largely for budgetary reasons by the NSWRL board?

PC: “No it wasn’t. You’re always looking at costs in this day and age. With the NRL and our funding from them, they require us to be fiscally responsible and that’s what we intend to do. But we haven’t looked at it solely from a point of budgetary constraints. In fact, it’s my understanding is that all previous coaches, aside from Freddy, were part-time coaching positions, so this isn’t anything entirely new.”

DR: One thing that has emerged following Freddy’s departure is that the Blues weren’t in a position to promote from within. There was no succession plan, as was the case when Freddy took over from Laurie Daley. Was this a consideration, in who Madge appointed on his staff, by keeping one eye on the future and developing the next Blues coach from within the system?

PC: “That’s a real possibility. It’s very difficult to look at the future as to what might happen. However, I don’t think it would be a surprise to anyone if in 12-months time, or two years time, that Madge gets an offer to go back to full-time NRL coaching. And that being the case, I think it’s important we have people who are highly-credentialed assistants, which include Matt King, Brett White and John Cartwright, all of whom the board has a very high regard.”

DR: I think the appointment that surprised many was the appointment of Storm GM of football Frank Ponissi as the NSW team manager. How pivotal is Frank’s role?

PC: “Frank’s appointment was important to us. His experience as a football manager is second to none. And you can probably see why now the board didn’t want to make an announcement of the coach until we had the entire staff to announce as well. With Frank and Carty and Brett (White) and Matt (King), as assistants, we have no doubt this is a team that can take the Blues forward.”

Conlon says the appointment of former Storm Football Director Frank Ponissi was a massive win for the NSWRL. Picture: AAP

DR: Paul, who will pick the team?

PC: “That is an area that the board is not going to intrude upon. I anticipate that the selections will be a combination of the head coach, three assistants and team manager. We have no doubt that this is a team that will best ensure success for the Blues.

DR: Paul, you’ve been nicknamed in the past as Judge Dread. You’re one of the most revered District Court Judges in Australia. You’ve locked up the worst criminals this country has seen. But have you ever felt as much pressure, intense debate and emotion, that comes with appointing the NSW State of Origin coach?

PC: (Laughs) “I used to think my role in the criminal justice system and dealing with sometimes the worst that humanity has to offer and coming up with the appropriate sentencing is a very difficult job. But I think in some respects, I’m now feeling that pales into insignificance with some of the decisions we’ve had to make for the NSWRL.”

DR: Lastly, how confident are you and the NSWRL board that you’ve made the right decision?

PC: “I think with the announcement of Madge and the coaching staff, I’m hopeful that it will be well received by the Blues fans and that they now understand that there’s been a lot of thought that has gone into assembling a team for NSW that continually produce the results that Blues supporters crave.”

DR: To smash those Queenslanders, you mean?

PC: “That’s the plan.”