State of Origin: The ball will be in Paul Green’s court as he contemplates Maroons future

Paul Green will survive a review of the State of Origin series and a final decision on whether he coaches Queensland next year is likely to be up to him

Paul Green is expected to be offered the chance to coach Queensland again but no-one could blame him for walking away after the way he was criticised this year. Picture: Getty Images

Queensland officials are set to begin an inquest into their State of Origin failings next week but coach Paul Green looks certain to be given a second shot at leading the Maroons to victory. Rather than focusing on whether he warrants another chance, the bigger question may be whether Green wants to put himself and his family through the wringer again.

Green has been hounded throughout the series, defeat in the opening game prompting a series of assertions about his ability to handle Origin and the culture of the Maroons. At times, it appears to have taken its toll.

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Green has come across as surly and suspicious, his mood no doubt darkened by what some viewed as attacks on his character and that of his team. A loss in Origin III would have rubbed salt into gaping wounds and prompted more calls for change.

Instead, Queensland and Green left CBus Stadium with renewed hope. Reputations were enhanced and there is every chance if Green wants the job again – he has an option in his favour for next season – it will be his. He warrants another chance

He, as much as the QRL, will have a decision to make. Green was loath to dive too deeply into the series and the toll it had taken on Thursday, insisting now was not the time to talk about his future.

Yet he also acknowledged that the pressure was as intense at any point in his career as the dealt with the fallout from successive beatings, savage criticism, and the Ronaldo Mulitalo and Jai Arrow furores that cast a pall over the lead-up to Origins II and III.

“I am not making any comment right now,” Green said.

“I need to take a breath. You have no idea what the last 10 days have involved. I have never been under as much pressure as I was in that game.

“You lose a grand final, people still say well done you made the grand final. If we had lost that last night, holy hell.”

Fortunately for Green, Queensland won and he was able to smile for the first time in the series. There was an emotional embrace with Christian Welch at fulltime, the Queensland prop having led the way in the closing minutes.

Plenty of people had questioned Green’s ability to extract the best from a team that had been decimated by injury in crucial positions. Finally, he had Kalyn Ponga at his disposal and the difference was palpable.

Ponga was as invested as much in Origin as any game in his career. When Queensland scored, he was among the first to celebrate. When a teammate pulled off a decisive play, Ponga was the first to pat him on the back.

When the Maroons needed to lift, Ponga did the conjoling. When he wasn’t urging on his teammates, he was coming up with big plays. Green’s relationship with Ponga was one of the talking points when the team for Origin III was first named given the way Ponga left North Queensland a few years back.

Yet Ponga certainly looked like he was playing for the coach given his performance at CBus Stadium on Wednesday night. The Maroons have much to review in coming weeks as they survey the wreckage of Origin.

The coach will be central to the review but there are other issues at play. Queensland need to modernise a set-up that was likely neglected while the Maroons were enjoying the most successful period in Origin history.

They will need to invest money to be great again. In all likelihood, Green will return next season given the positive vibes he took away from Origin III.

The decision ultimately will be his.

“I think we need stability in our coaching ranks,” Queensland Rugby League chair Bruce Hatcher said.

“We’re pretty passionate about having Queenslanders coaching Queensland. That limits the pool of talent. If we exclude anyone currently coaching in the NRL, that excludes more people.

“I think (NSW coach Brad) Fittler has been a great example of being given adequate time to develop his talent. We have to see what is best for us.

“I would hope within a month we could do that because that is fair to all parties. I always had faith in Paul Green because he has a track record.

“If you talk to him about matters of football, you can’t have any doubt that he knows what he is talking about. I have never seen circumstances like he has had to endure.”