Queensland bosses set to table multi-year extension offer to Maroons coach Billy Slater
Queensland bosses are confident Billy Slater will not walk away as Origin coach. But how do they plan to keep him? Peter Badel has the details.
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Queensland bosses are confident Billy Slater will not walk away as Origin coach and will table a multi-year deal to keep the Storm legend in charge of the Maroons until at least 2025.
Slater goes into Origin III off-contract and Queensland’s new supercoach will officially be a free agent after the Maroons’ attempt for a clean sweep in Game Three at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on Wednesday week.
Despite guiding the Maroons to back-to-back series wins, Slater has been tight-lipped about his future, refusing to commit to Queensland amid fears he may not return to the Origin arena next season.
But Queensland Rugby League chief executive Ben Ikin says he has no plans to lose Slater and will kick-off extension talks with the 31-game Maroons icon after Origin III at Homebush.
“We’d love him to go on,” Ikin said.
“Billy has maintained from the get-go that he wants to get through the series first.
“When the series is over, we will go into the negotiation phase with Billy and his agent.
“I will be working with the QRL board to ensure we do everything we can to keep Billy around next year.”
It is understood QRL hierarchy are so rapt with Slater’s contribution to the Origin program they are open to a longer-term, three-year deal to keep him at Camp Maroon until 2026.
Slater may prefer a year-by-year arrangement given his media, family and business commitments, but the QRL hope the legendary fullback will coach on for at least another two campaigns.
Earlier this season, Slater was linked with the Melbourne NRL job, but Craig Bellamy’s decision to coach on for another 12 months has eliminated the Storm threat for another year.
Maroons players are hoping a 3-0 ‘Blue Rinse’ will convince Slater to extend his tenure and while Ikin says the 40-year-old could succeed in the NRL, he believes ‘Billy the Kid’ will stay loyal to Queensland.
“Based on what we know right now, the longer we can keep Billy the better,” Ikin said.
“He is capable of doing both jobs (NRL and Origin coaching).
“He has proven that whatever he puts his mind to he does a pretty good job of.
“He is coaching the most high-profile version of our sport at the moment and doing a very good job of it.
“He is doing some consulting coaching for the Melbourne Storm and the feedback from their club is exceptional.
“This is a man who has naturally high capability anyway, but then is very deliberate about squeezing as much out of himself as he possibly can.
“That high level of capability, mixed with a great work ethic and desire to be his best, generally means Billy will be good at whatever he turns his hand to.
“He has shown what he is capable of last year and this year and we all believe at the QRL that our male Maroons team is in good hands whenever Billy is in charge.
“I won’t go into specifics about terms other than to say we will work through what the particulars look like with his agent post this series.”
Maroons ironman Reuben Cotter appealed for Slater to ink a new deal and chase a Queensland ‘Three Peat’ next year.
“If Billy wants to go down the NRL path, I have no doubt he could do it, but right now I hope he stays with us,” Cotter said.
“Billy has been enormous for this team. He is one of the greatest coaches I have played under.
“It’s just what he does with the group of boys. His style is very different, it is very motivating.
“He is one of the best players to play the game and so are a lot of the coaching staff like Cam Smith and Johnathan Thurston.
“We all have massive respect for them and that’s where it comes from. We don’t want to let them down and we don’t want to let each other down.
“Billy is doing a great job, so I really hope he goes on, 100 per cent.”
Maroons centre Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow added: “All the boys really enjoy being coached by him. It’s great being around the camp with him.
“He is still pretty young himself for a coach so the boys can relate to him and we respect what he did as a player.
“I’d love for him to keep coaching.”
WHY MAROONS ARE FINALLY READY TO UNLEASH BIG RED
Peter Badel and David Riccio
The Maroons are ready to unleash ‘Big Red’ on the Blues with Raiders ironman Corey Horsburgh just 80 minutes away from a Queensland debut in Origin III.
This masthead can reveal Horsburgh can seal his maiden Maroons jumper for Origin III on Wednesday week with a rampaging display in Saturday’s clash against the Titans at Canberra’s GIO Stadium.
The Queensland team for Game Three at Sydney’s Accor Stadium is named Monday and coach Billy Slater is on the hunt for more Maroons following Tom Flegler’s foot injury and Reece Walsh’s suspension.
AJ Brimson is expected to replace Walsh at fullback, while Horsburgh is the front-runner to fill the Flegler void as the Maroons plot a 3-0 ‘Blue Rinse’ on Sydney soil.
Queensland hierarchy are mulling over a number of forward options, including Melbourne warhorse Christian Welch, who has played six Origin games, and rookie J’maine Hopgood, who has impressed at the Eels.
But Horsburgh is in the box seat and can clinch his Origin baptism if he comes through the Canberra-Titans clash unscathed.
A Queensland Origin debut would crown a courageous fightback from the 25-year-old Caboolture product.
The flame-haired firebrand’s NRL career was at the crossroads in 2020 when he badly tore foot ligaments against Parramatta. A shattered Horsburgh broke down in tears on the field and gave Eels fans the one-fingered salute after he was booed hobbling off CommBank Stadium.
But Big Red has climbed off the canvas, producing the best football of his career this season to play a key role in Canberra (9-6) winning eight of their last 10 games to surge into the top eight.
Horsburgh went tantalisingly close to his Maroons debut a fortnight ago, chosen as 19th man for Game Two, and Slater is adamant the Green Machine workaholic wouldn’t let Queensland down in Origin III.
“Corey doesn’t get much closer than where he is,” Slater said after choosing Horsburgh in his extended Game Two squad.
“The next step is being in the team and we don’t put people in 18 and 19 for the sake of it.
“You have to earn it and Corey has done it through the habits he has built in his game.
“They (Horsburgh and Brimson) aren’t here in the squad to make up the numbers if anything happens.
“We will have confidence in them to play for Queensland.
“I like what Corey sees as important in the game in terms of his work off the footy, his kick-chase efforts and all those little things that you need to lean on when you are under pressure in State of Origin.”
Horsburgh, who has played 76 NRL games, has the versatility to play in the middle or on an edge and his numbers for the Raiders this season have been exceptional.
The tireless No. 13 is averaging 115 metres and 36 tackles this season and has racked up a staggering 102 tackles in his past two games – 52 against the Warriors and 50 against the Roosters last week.
His club coach Ricky Stuart knows what it takes to succeed in State of Origin. The former NSW halfback won three series during his 14-game Origin career and Stuart is adamant Horsburgh, who made his NRL debut in 2019, is ready for Maroon.
“He has got an Origin mentality,” Stuart said recently.
“He is a tough kid and nothing fazes him when he is controlling his emotions. He gets baited all the time, but he is enjoying that now instead of reacting to it.
“He is an exceptional football player.
“We all know he is an emotional big bugger, and that’s why we love him. We love his emotion, but when he cools and calms, he is an even better player.”
Horsburgh said his recent visit to Camp Maroon for Origin II has only made him hungrier to step up in the code’s toughest arena.
“As a kid that was all I wanted to do, play for Queensland, so it would be very special to one day play Origin,” he said.
“I will be a sponge in camp, take it all in and learn as much as I can from these great Queensland players.
“If I finally get a crack, I know what I have to do.”
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Originally published as Queensland bosses set to table multi-year extension offer to Maroons coach Billy Slater
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