All Blacks and Blues: Madge’s secret weapon to beat Maroons

The man credited with turning the All Blacks from World Cup chokers into a global rugby powerhouse has emerged as Michael Maguire’s secret weapon with the NSW Blues.

This masthead can reveal that Gilbert Enoka, who was the leadership management and mental skills coach for New Zealand’s famous rugby side for more than 20 years during a remarkable period of dominance, has joined Maguire’s team in the hope of bringing down Queensland in this year’s State of Origin series.

Enoka was spotted at the Blues camp in the Blue Mountains this week in a NSW tracksuit and deep in conversation with another Maguire confidante, leadership coach Peter Cox, who worked with Maguire when he won the 2014 NRL title with South Sydney. Cox also played a role in Manly’s title successes in 2008 and 2011.

Maguire crossed paths with Enoka during his time working with the New Zealand’s rugby league team and plans to have Enoka on board for the entire Origin series. Maguire has told those close to him that he wants to “build a really good team around the team”.

Blues football manager Frank Ponissi also knows Enoka personally through the Melbourne Storm’s working relationship with the All Blacks.

Enoka spent time with the Storm during the 2011 pre-season, as the club was still coming to terms with the salary-cap breaches from the previous season, and again in 2016, when Ponissi and coach Craig Bellamy teamed up with the All Blacks and Enoka in Chicago.

As Storm fullback, Queensland coach Billy Slater also worked on his leadership skills with Enoka.

All Blacks legend Dan Carter once described Enoka as “hugely instrumental” in helping the All Blacks to overcome a run of shock losses at World Cups. The breaking point came in 2007 when the All Blacks were stunned in a quarter-final against France.

Gilbert Enoka (right) with Peter Cox at NSW training on Wednesday.Credit: Wolter Peeters

As Carter once told ESPN: “It was becoming a bit of a joke about us being chokers and it being 24 years since the All Blacks had won a World Cup, and at every World Cup [after that] there was more and more pressure.

“I was overthinking things, so I was often thinking about the result and becoming unfocused and forgetting about the process. I spent a lot of time with Gilbert, just making sure that we brought things back to ‘process, focus’, and the result will take care of itself if you do that.”

Enoka is a former New Zealand volleyball representative and has worked with national sports sides since the mid-1990s, including the Silver Ferns netball team and the Black Caps cricket team, on top of more than 300 Tests with the All Blacks. Last year, English Premier League giants Chelsea brought him in as a consultant.

Some of the Blues players had nothing but praise for Enoka, with Jarome Luai saying: “He did his first presentation and my eyes were glued to him – I really loved his aura and his message.”

Gilbert Enoka (centre) celebrates the Bledisloe Cup win in 2016 with All Blacks coaching staff Mike Cron, Ian Foster, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith.Credit: Getty

When told about Enoka joining forces with the NSW Blues, All Blacks coaching legend Steve Hansen, who now works as coaching director with Japanese franchise Toyota Verblitz, said it was a wonderful move by Maguire.

Hansen was still playing when he first met Enoka, and he later worked with him when the All Blacks won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups.

“He was with the All Blacks for over 300 Test matches. They are the most successful team in the world, and Gilbert has played a big part in that,” Hansen told this masthead.

“He’s got great empathy towards the players. He’s got great ability to send good messages. His work in the space of leadership and unity in a team is just wonderful. Gilbert creates that unity and connection that binds you together to be able to play well under pressure.

Blues coach Michael Maguire (centre) leads a training at Blue Mountains Grammar School this week. Credit: Wolter Peeters

“There won’t be any negativity if you speak to those [NSW] players. He’ll talk about stuff a lot of players are frightened to talk about, or won’t admit, and he gives them solutions to things that are simple but really effective.

“When you’ve got your coach and him working side by side, like I’d imagine he is with ‘Madge’ [Maguire], it becomes quite a strength – I can only imagine Madge is getting his eyes opened as well.

“Everyone does fitness training and skills with the ball, but we don’t do enough mental skills. It’s a massive part of the game. We talk to ourselves more than anyone else, so if you’re not talking to yourself nicely, it’s not good.”

Enoka, who officially finished up with New Zealand Rugby last year, was a big supporter of the “no dickheads policy” at the All Blacks and once spoke about how you can’t “be a positive person on the field and a prick off it”.

“A dickhead makes everything about them,” Enoka told adidas magazine GamePlan A in 2017.

“They are people who put themselves ahead of the team, people who think they’re entitled to things, expect the rules to be different for them, people operating deceitfully in the dark, or being unnecessarily loud about their work.”

Sydney-raised leadership coach Cox was with Maguire when he announced his team for game one on Monday, then again later that night at the True Blues dinner at The Star casino.

Des Hasler used Cox when Manly won two premierships. Daly Cherry-Evans, who was a rookie in 2011, recalled the day he was told by Hasler to meet with Cox in Terrey Hills.

When Kevin Walters was coaching Queensland’s Origin team, he made headlines at the start of the 2019 series when this masthead revealed he had been working with the “coach whisperer”, Bradley Stubbs. The Maroons lost the series 2-1.

NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.