The QRL wants to lock-up Maroons coach Billy Slater before desperate NRL clubs attempt to poach him

Billy Slater is the game’s hottest coaching talent and the Maroons are keen to lock-up their mentor following his Origin masterclass before desperate NRL clubs come sniffing.

The Maroons are keen to secure Billy Slater to a new deal and create a Queensland dynasty amid fears desperate NRL clubs could target him following one of the great Origin coaching performances.

Slater celebrated one of the finest moments of his professional career by coaching Queensland to a famous Origin series victory in Sydney on Wednesday night.

The Maroons were staring down the barrel of back-to-back series defeats after an insipid Game One loss in Brisbane – their second straight at Suncorp Stadium after last year’s decider failure.

No Queensland coach in Origin’s 45-year history has remained in the job following consecutive series losses.

But Slater orchestrated a famous comeback, guiding Queensland to a series-levelling win in Perth before the Maroons embarrassed the Blues 24-12 following a flawless first half at Accor Stadium to bring the shield home.

Slater, 42, is contracted to the Queensland Rugby League until the end of next year, which will be his fifth series at the helm of the Maroons.

The QRL is keen to lock-down Billy Slater. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

But QRL chief Ben Ikin hopes Slater will extend his time in the role following his career-defining performance this year.

“We’re trying to hold him for as long as we can,” Ikin said.

“That’s a conversation that has to happen with the board but based on what you saw in this series and what he’s delivered for us so far, you want him to stick around for as long as he is enthusiastic about the job.

“It won’t be a negotiation that looks similar to what happens in NRL land. I have great trust when we hand him the reins to take this team through a series and that trust has only increased every year he’s had the job.

“It’s for him to decide what he wants to do beyond next year and clearly if Billy wants to keep coaching the Queensland State of Origin team then he’s probably going to keep the job.”

Slater went into the 2023 series off-contract and didn’t decide until after Queensland retained the shield that he wanted to continue in the role.

He suffered his first series loss last year and looked destined for another defeat when the Maroons flopped at Suncorp in the 2025 opener.

But Slater made a number of series-defining decisions that ultimately proved correct.

He axed captain Daly Cherry-Evans after Game One and replaced him at halfback with Tom Dearden, who claimed the Wally Lewis Medal as player-of-the-series.

New skipper Cameron Munster was man-of-the-match in his captaincy debut in Perth and recalling front row warhorse Josh Papalii was an inspired decision.

Slater also switched up his pack, shifting Pat Carrigan and Jeremiah Nanai to the bench, while rookie centres Robert Toia and Gehamat Shibasaki repaid their coach’s faith by muzzling Blues stars Latrell Mitchell and Stephen Crichton.

The victorious Maroons. Picture: Queensland Maroons

Slater’s only bungle was his pre-match press conference comments in Perth, where he referenced the death of former Queensland coach Paul Green, but he made amends for that by publicly apologising on game day.

Ikin said Slater had exhibited the traits of being a successful NRL club coach.

“If he wants to be, I think he’s proven that now,” he said.

“The trick about coaching is not what you’ve got under the bonnet when things are going well. It’s when the blowtorch is applied, can you dig in?

“Being 1-0 down in a series, losing at Suncorp Stadium and having to fight your way back is about as tough as it gets in an Origin context.

“Not just rolling into game two with the same players and same principles that cost you in game one … he made some tough calls and they paid off for him.

“They paid off because he put the work in before he made the decisions and once he made them, he absolutely believed and so the players did too.

“I don’t know if too many people had the courage to do the same thing. He knew what he didn’t like about game one and what he could get out of the changes for game two.

“They worked and we took that momentum into game three. We’re very, very lucky as a team, state and QRL to have him in charge.”

Slater has now won three of four series in charge and will become Queensland’s fourth-most capped coach next year behind Arthur Beetson (16 games), Wayne Bennett (25) and Mal Meninga (30).

Slater played 31 games for Queensland but admitted he had never experienced a feeling like Wednesday night’s series win against the odds.

“I don’t like ranking things, but I’ve never felt like this,” Slater said.

“I’ve been proud of the group a number of times over the last four years and I don’t know if I’ve been any more proud than this.

“There’s been a fair bit going on and it is a true Queensland team, it’s been a true Queensland performance.

“There’s been a lot of hurdles to overcome. It’s an incredible feeling and I’m sure five-and-a-half million people are feeling the same thing.”

Originally published as The QRL wants to lock-up Maroons coach Billy Slater before desperate NRL clubs attempt to poach him