Fittler had to go after losing last two series. But his successes shouldn’t be forgotten

In the end, Brad Fittler pushed himself out the door, ending his six-year tenure as NSW coach. But his time should have been up as soon as he lost this year’s Origin series.

On the same day Queensland coach Billy Slater extended his deal for three years, news broke that Fittler couldn’t reach an agreement with the NSWRL about an extension on his deal.

Fittler wanted two years, but most NSWRL directors were only prepared to give him one. He’d done what the board had wanted, cleaning out his coaching staff to freshen things up, but there was still angst about who he wanted to bring in – particularly Bulldogs football boss and Channel Nine expert Phil Gould.

Truth is, Fittler should not have been considered at all after losing his second series in a row. He was no longer the right man for the job. Failing to make changes to his coaching staff at the end of last year’s series loss, despite the advice of several people, was a fatal mistake.

How Fittler’s tenure has ended should not affect how it’s remembered. He took over a broken side that had lost three consecutive series to a Queensland team that had the Blues in a perpetual headlock.

Some say he got lucky, taking over just as Queensland stars Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston were retiring, but blooding 11 rookies in his first match — the most of any coach in Origin history — took courage.

Brad Fittler during NSW’s defeat in game two at Suncorp Stadium earlier this year.Credit: Getty

People laughed at his earthing and meditation techniques, but they also laughed at Jack Gibson many years ago when he tried new things like tackling inflatable tubes.

Just as it was for Gibson, Fittler was changing things up for the sake of changing things up. It kick-started a Blues revival and Fittler could laugh off his critics because his approach worked, winning the 2018 and 2019 series.

Then life became infinitely tougher. Wayne Bennett out-coached him in 2020 before Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell inspired the Blues to victory in 2021.

Slater and Smith took control of Queensland, and it has been a coaching mismatch ever since.

This year, for the first two matches, NSW looked like a team that had barely trained. On top of some bizarro selections, and Fittler’s unhealthy obsession with media criticism, most people could see that Fittler’s time had come to an end.

Except the NSWRL, which should have been using these past few months to find a new coach instead of considering a Fittler extension.

So who’s ready to strap themselves into the hot seat? In July, I wrote that the sobering problem for the NSWRL was there were no discernible alternatives and that remains so.

Most Origin coaches seem to be found in the commentary box. Former NSW and Cronulla prop Andrew Fifita responded to the news on Instagram by nudging former teammate Paul Gallen. “Let’s goooooo big boyyyyy,” he posted.

Coaching Origin has become too big for someone also coaching at NRL level, while club bosses are loath to let their well-paid coach juggle two demanding roles. Penrith’s Ivan Cleary springs to mind as an ideal candidate, but would his bosses allow him to do both?

If one club coach can’t do it, what about two?

Canberra’s Ricky Stuart and Melbourne’s Craig Bellamy would be an ideal coaching partnership. They are coaching in the NRL and have guided NSW before.

Stuart, a Blues great, can bring the passion while Bellamy, a three-time premiership coach, can bring the smarts.

Still, it’s a monumental job against a Queensland team that features Reece Walsh, Cameron Munster, Harry Grant and Patrick Carrigan.

As one chief executive told me as the news about Fittler broke: “Why the hell would someone want that job?”

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