State of Origin 2016: NSW coach Laurie Daley’s fear of making tough calls holding the Blues back

LAURIE Daley didn’t select Bryce Cartwright because he “doesn’t want to expose him” but how else will he get Origin experience? It’s time for things to change.

It’s time for NSW to look to the future.

IF Laurie Daley was coaching Penrith, chances are Nathan Cleary wouldn’t be playing NRL.

At 18, Cleary would be considered too young, too raw. Ash Taylor would still be Ash Who? Not the Gold Coast youngster closing in on the Dally M rookie of the year.

Latrell Mitchell would be going to bed with a bottle. Tom Trbojevic in the cot beside him.

Luke Brooks wouldn’t have cut his teeth two years ago to get him to the point in his career that he is at today. The Tigers would still be relying on Benji Marshall.

Laurie Daley hasn’t given NSW’s best young players enough credit.

Imagine if Daley was coaching Newcastle. Daley couldn’t pick a team with the roster at Nathan Brown’s disposal.

Brown coaches with the philosophy tough times today will build the Knights of the future. Just look at the crowds turning up to Newcastle games this year, backing these young players even though they get trampled almost every week.

The supporters are on Brown’s side, adamant they would rather watch a team for tomorrow instead of players of the past who didn’t deliver when they had the chance.

Under Daley’s “fatherly instincts”, as he referred to them last weekend, the future would be forever on hold.

“I don’t want to put them into a situation that I was in,” Daley said in an article about why he will refrain from bringing in more new blood for the Origin dead rubber on July 13.

“I’d rather have them ready to go when I know they’re ready rather than hoping they’re ready. That’s one of the reasons I’ve held young Bryce (Cartwright) back at the moment.

“We think he’s going to be a really good player for us, but we don’t want to expose him.”

Laurie Daley playing in Origin in 1991 — when he was only 22.

Daley talks about the scars he suffered. It’s funny how people remember things differently.

The Laurie Daley I remember lived every kid’s footballing dream. Made his first grade debut at 17, played for NSW at 19, went on to become one of the greats. By 25 he’d won three grand finals at Canberra, starred at every level. Mental scars and all.

Was playing Origin so young really so damaging?

Seriously, Daley has to change his thinking on this. He basically has this weekend to do it. Or NSW should look forward to a half-empty stadium when they run out for the final game, and find a new coach for next year.

This weekend should be crunch time for Daley.

What is the difference between giving Cartwright a go now instead of next year when the series will be alive, with two of three games played at Suncorp Stadium?

Throw in the likes of James Tedesco, Nathan Peats and Joey Leilua. While we’re at it a new leadership group that is going to be left in charge next year anyway.

Daley says he wants to protect young players. In actual fact he is protecting himself from making tough calls until the likes of Paul Gallen, Robbie Farah and Greg Bird have gone on their own terms.

The default defence is that Daley has already made a stack of changes this year. But has he made the tough changes necessary?

The clamour to introduce Bryce Cartwright is impossible for Daley to ignore.

Everyone from Phil Gould to Peter Sterling have said it all series, and plenty of others. Ryan Girdler was another talking about it on Triple M last weekend.

Girdler explained that he basically had no recollection of his first Origin, but he sure remembered his second. The point being you need to live Origin to know it.

When Girdler picked his team there was no room for the likes of Gallen, Bird or Farah. Even James Tamou and Andrew Fifita. But I’ll bet he would win a public vote against the team Daley is likely to trot out in the coming days.

Girdler’s squad was: 1 James Tedesco, 2 Josh Mansour, 3 Jack Bird, 4 Joey Leilua, 5 Brett Morris, 6 James Maloney, 7 Adam Reynolds, 8 Aaron Woods, 9 Nathan Peats, 10 Jordan McLean, 11 Josh Jackson, 12 Boyd Cordner, 13 Tyson Frizell. Interchange: 14 Matt Moylan, 15 David Klemmer, 16 Jake Trbojevic, 17 Bryce Cartwright, 18 Tom Trbojevic, 19 Wade Graham.

Not bad, you agree?

James Tedesco could offer NSW so much.

I might argue with a couple as we all would, but the philosophy is spot on. Freddy Fittler said it too on The Sunday Footy Show, sometimes you just need to let them learn for themselves.

Frizell proved that with his performance in game two, the Blues’ best on debut. Remember, Frizell only got his call up after Graham was suspended. Even Leilua had half a crack at Daley this week when he said NSW were paying the price for picking the wrong side.

“But there’s not much anyone can do about it now, the series is gone,” Leilua said.

We all know Daley is not going to sack his senior leadership group for the final game, so this is probably a wasted argument. But good bloke or not, I’m buggered if I know how the NSW Rugby League can still guarantee Daley’s job until the end of next year, which they have already done.

People argue Daley is safe because of lack of coaching options. In reality there are plenty. Like young players, they just need a shot.

You could try and get an experienced coach like Craig Bellamy to give it another crack. Or go for an untried.

The likes Andrew or Matty Johns, Fittler, Geoff Toovey, Greg Alexander. You could write a list of candidates a mile long. Plenty of former NSW greats would put up their hand.

Mal Meninga didn’t have a great coaching resume before he took control of Queensland. Neither did Fatty Vautin in 1995. That year, during the height of Super League, Vautin had no coaching experience and basically half a team of first graders at his disposal.

Yet Queensland won the series, three zip, against a much-hyped NSW side. It showed anything is possible.

Right now, NSW fans deserve reason to hope. But we need change first.

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Originally published as State of Origin 2016: NSW coach Laurie Daley’s fear of making tough calls holding the Blues back