Weekend Read: Matt King has built the right resume to take over from Michael Maguire at the Blues

Michael Maguire’s decision to ditch the Blues after just one year as head coach has left the NSWRL looking for a replacement, and the solution could be right under their noses, writes BRENT READ.

NSW officials sat down last week to discuss the Blues coaching job for the first time and outlined plans to form a shortlist ahead of their next meeting in a week or two.

Plenty of names have already been floated but it appears the one certainty is that assistant coach Matt King will be near the top of the list.

King has quietly gone about building one of the most impressive resumes in the coaching game. He played nine games for the Blues himself and when he retired, joined South Sydney’s coaching staff and helped the club break their premiership drought.

He moved to the Sydney Roosters at the end of 2016 and has been there ever since, a period in which the club has enjoyed sustained success.

It’s easy to forget King was a hell of a player. He quit at a young age, worked as a garbage collector among other things, and then returned to the game with the Melbourne Storm.

Is Matt King the man to take over as NSW Origin coach?

Those who know him suggest he has the makings of a quality coach as well. Remarkably, despite his credentials, his name is rarely mentioned when club roles are discussed.

Perhaps it is because he doesn’t go out of his way to promote himself. He is happy to work in the background and play the role of loyal lieutenant.

He hasn’t come out and said he wants the NSW job but this column has been told he won’t say no if he is asked. The beauty of King is that he worked alongside Michael Maguire last year so he knows what it takes to win a State of Origin series.

The Blues hierarchy have been told that continuity and consistency is the key after this year’s performance. The vast majority of staff will remain in place. King will be there regardless.

It may yet be as head coach.

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Ben Hunt’s long-time manager Col Davis tried to give his client a call the other day. Only things didn’t quite go to plan.

Hunt was enjoying some time off with his family on the south island of New Zealand and the reception kept dropping in and out.

After five attempts, Davis called it quits and parked any talks. Hunt may be out of work, without a club for next season, but he and Davis are in no hurry to determine his future.

Hunt isn’t exactly singing for his supper after spending the vast majority of the past decade among the highest earners in the game.

“He isn’t eating the dates off the calendar,” Davis joked. Besides, the more patient they are, the more doors seemingly open for Hunt.

The Roosters’ decision to give Terrell May permission to explore the market has prompted suggestions they could enter the Hunt sweepstakes, although Davis echoed what Hunt has said himself – that a return to southeast Queensland is a tempting thought for a bloke who not so long ago splashed out nearly $3 million on a home in Byron Bay.

Ben Hunt made it clear he was not keen on staying at the Dragons. Picture: Getty Images

The point is that as unsavoury as Hunt’s ending was at the Dragons – with tit-for-tat accusations of leaking and public agitation from the club captain – he won’t be short of options.

Good halves are hard to find and Hunt is still one of the best in the business, albeit coming off a disappointing end to the NRL season when his side capitulated with the finals on their doorstep.

Hunt has seemingly borne the brunt of the blame for that amid claims that his form dipped and the side drifted with him. His response was to publicly bait the Dragons, the sort of behaviour normally associated with American athletes who know their worth and aren’t afraid to take on their clubs.

Hunt has effectively provided a template for unsettled NRL players. If you want a move, brutal honesty is the best method.

Speak your mind and agitate for change. Eventually even the strongest clubs will decide it is better to move on. Even the biggest names aren’t always worth the trouble.

Hunt may have frustrated the Dragons but he was still good enough for Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga, who has always held a high opinion of Hunt.

A few substandard games weren’t going to change that. His Australian teammates also showed how highly they regard him by giving him the honour of leading the team song in victory, the very same honour that was once held by Cameron Smith and last year, residing with Jake Trbojevic.

Hunt may not be everyone’s kettle of fish, and there is no doubt Dragons fans and officials have had their patience tested in recent weeks, but he fits the bill for Meninga and the same goes for his green and gold comrades.

Ben Hunt trains during a Kangaroos training session ahead of the Pacific Championships. Picture: Getty Images

Meninga was reluctant to discuss his admiration for Hunt this week for fear of inflaming the discussion around his club future.

The Kangaroos coach has a Pacific Championships to win and that is his overriding priority right now. Weighing into the merits of Hunt and the Dragons, or discussing his qualities as a team member, weren’t exactly high on his to-do list.

Then again, Meninga didn’t need to say a word. He showed exactly what he thought of Hunt when he named his 21-man squad for the end-of-season internationals and opted for the Dragons playmaker ahead of the other options, mostly notably Manly and Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans.

Cherry-Evans finished the season in the better form, leading his team to the finals as Hunt and the Dragons limped to the finish line.

Yet Meninga effectively drew the curtain on Cherry-Evans’ international career while extending that of Hunt when he sat down with ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys and his fellow selectors to finalise his squad for the internationals.

Hunt, meanwhile, walked into Test camp and immediately threw another grenade that landed on the doorstep of the Dragons. Debate over his future simmered again and the Dragons eventually decided it was better to cut the cord.

Hunt will be back from holidays next week helping the Kangaroos prepare for the Pacific Championships final. Then the time will come to find a new home. Davis will be back on the phone soon enough.

Originally published as Weekend Read: Matt King has built the right resume to take over from Michael Maguire at the Blues