Billy v Madge: The real reason behind NSW coach’s ‘glass houses’ sledge

It’s been more than a week since Michael Maguire partly irritated but mostly confused Queensland with his sort-of-kind-of sledge about people living in glass houses.

“You’ve got to make sure you don’t live in glass houses, that’s all I’ll say,” the Blues coach said on June 17.

Origin coaches Billy Slater and Michael MaguireCredit: Getty/Bethany Rae

Cop, er, that.

What did it all mean? Was he talking about Billy Slater? Nate Myles? The entire state of Queensland?

And what purpose did Maguire’s cryptic line serve? Was he trying to rile Slater? Unnerve him? Confuse us?

Was it the last throw of the dice for a desperate state looking at a third consecutive series loss, as former Maroons captain Cameron Smith suggested on SEN Radio last Wednesday?

Michael Maguire at a training session at AAMI Park on Monday .Credit: Getty Images

Or was it more about Maguire, an Origin rookie, showing his players that he had their back by tossing any old line out there and seeing how everyone reacted?

Only now, as Origin II looms at the MCG, can the real motivation behind the glasshouses comment be revealed: it was about diverting the media’s attention away from the selection of controversial centre Latrell Mitchell.

Maguire’s diversionary tactic worked: there has barely been a story let alone any real focus on Mitchell since he did a handful of interviews last Tuesday when he came into camp. The biggest story of the match has seemingly been forgotten.

If master manipulators like Wayne Bennett, Phil Gould, Bob Fulton or the OG himself, Jack Gibson, had pulled a stunt like this, we’d have golf-clapped at their brilliance. Alas, Madge still has much to prove.

He’ll get a greater understanding of how much he’s annoyed Slater when the pair meet for a rare pre-game media conference in Melbourne on Tuesday.

Those close to both men reckon it will be as cold as the weather, which is a far cry from their days together at the Melbourne Storm as assistant coach and player.

When the Storm were in their salary cap-enhanced pomp in the mid-2000s, Maguire ran the attack for Craig Bellamy. He was constantly conferring with Slater, the fullback, and halfback Cooper Cronk. That trio drove Melbourne’s attack more than anyone.

In the lead-up to the 2007 grand final against Manly, Maguire noticed from hours of video analysis that the Sea Eagles’ back-rower, Anthony Watmough, often had eyes only for the player in front of him in defence, opening up a blind spot for attackers who ran at his right shoulder.

Running protection: Latrell Mitchell’s return to the Blues has had barely any focus.Credit: Getty Images

Watmough, who was carrying injuries into the game, missed 15 tackles in the 34-8 loss to Melbourne that night, although he was one of Manly’s best in their 40-0 victory in the grand final against the same opponents the following year.

Maguire’s legendary attention to detail was seemingly lacking when it came to the Blues in game one. Stephen Crichton, the best defensive centre in the game, was only moved to the right edge to accommodate Suaalii’s send-off after Queensland had scored two quick tries.

Captain Jake Trbojevic’s 29 minutes of game-time was blamed on the need to score points. If you can’t have your captain on the field at any time, particularly when the match is slipping away, why make him captain at all?

Nevertheless, all is not lost as Maguire attempts to roll back the Maroons tide that is sweeping over the interstate series once again. You can lose the first match and still bounce back.

Like Shakira’s hips, the stats don’t lie. Before this series, the Blues had lost game one on 22 occasions — but kept the series alive by winning game two a whopping 13 times.

They’ve won the decider three times after losing game one.

The first time was 1994 after Queensland replacement Mark Coyne scored his miracle try in Sydney, before NSW won at the MCG in game two and then at Lang Park in game three. This is the same path Maguire’s team will have to tread this year if they are to win the series.

NSW won in 2005 after losing game one at Suncorp Stadium. Halfback Andrew Johns recovered from a broken jaw and engineered two of the greatest virtuoso performances in Origin history to clinch the series.

The third time was 2019, in coach Brad Fittler’s second year in change. NSW lost in Brisbane, won in Perth and then sat back and watched captain James Tedesco score in the corner in the last minute to clinch the series.

James Tedesco’s last-gasp try gave NSW their last come-from behind series win, in 2019.Credit: Getty

Maguire’s “glass houses” jibe has given the rugby league media something to talk about for a week and, for that, we should be thankful. The build-up to this must-win match has been as exciting as a dial tone.

The NRL must take note: Origin is in desperate need of a hype man. Who’d have ever thought it would be stone-faced Madge?

His protection of Mitchell is admirable, and smart, but make no mistake: the coach had no interest in picking him for game one and wasn’t that thrilled about the idea when quizzed about it by reporters in the Blues dressing-room after the loss.

Will Maguire’s gamble in diverting attention from his strike centre while firing up his former Storm fullback be worth it?

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