Opinion
Daley and Bellamy failed as Origin coaches. Why have they come back for more?
Adrian Proszenko
Chief Rugby League ReporterFyodor Dostoevsky could well have been talking about the greatest game of all when he mused that to love is to suffer, and there can be no love otherwise.
It is a sentiment that Laurie Daley knows too well. No one loves the NSW jersey more than Daley, who will further add to his contributions on the field and as a coach during a second stint with the clipboard. No one has suffered more for their state, either.
During his first campaign as coach in 2013, a heartbreaking 2-1 series loss, the defeat took such a physical and emotional toll that the champion pivot struggled to get out of bed afterwards.
“I thought to myself ‘shit, I don’t know if I can do this any more’,” Daley said at the time. “I was knocked around. I didn’t realise it would take that much out of me. I got sick with what they call shingles and I didn’t feel like leaving the house.”
The responsibility of leading the state, whether it be as playmaker, captain or coach, has always weighed heavily on Daley. Sadly, some of the players he has selected didn’t share the same level of care.
Predecessor Michael Maguire had four criteria for selection: current form, character, effort on effort, fitness. Some of Daley’s previous picks would have struggled to tick two of the boxes. For all the talent Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson possessed, their inability to put the cause before themselves proved pivotal. No game exposes character quite like State of Origin.
Blake Ferguson and Josh Dugan in 2017.Credit: NRL Photos
For proof, look no further than Jarryd Hayne. The “Plane” had the 2017 series at his mercy but, instead of passing to an unmarked Brett Morris to give NSW an unassailable 2-0 series lead, opted instead to go for glory himself and came up short.
It’s an act that ultimately cost Daley the job.
That he still wants to do it again, knowing full well the price he will pay if things once more go awry, speaks to Daley’s connection to the state. His appointment also speaks to a lack of alternatives. A 40 per cent win rate from five series, albeit against the greatest Maroons teams ever assembled, is not a record that instils fear north of the Tweed.
Craig Bellamy’s presence would have made Daley’s pitch stand out from the crowd, but the Storm mentor’s own record at interstate level is also underwhelming. Bellamy lost three straight series as NSW coach from 2008-10, the only arena where he is yet to taste success.
Craig Bellamy congratulates Michael Ennis after NSW’s win in the game three dead rubber in 2009.Credit: Paul Harris
For NSW to be successful, Bellamy and Daly must learn from their mistakes.
I recall asking Tim Mannah for recollections of his Origin debut, made under Bellamy in 2010, during a recent segment of Crunch Time on SEN radio.
“I didn’t enjoy my first experience,” Mannah said. “I came in for a dead rubber – that may have played a part – but it wasn’t a fun camp. I remember walking away thinking ‘you know what, I’ve ticked off Origin. If I never play again, I’ve done it.’ It didn’t feel special, it felt like I was going into an NRL camp for the week.”
Contrast that with the following series, when Ricky Stuart took over.
“When I left camp, I couldn’t wait to get back,” Mannah said. “It was the best experience of my whole life. I’m like ‘that’s what it’s about – I’ll doing anything to get back’.”
Thankfully for Daley and Bellamy, Maguire has left a blueprint for success. The decision to sack James Tedesco as fullback and captain – the type of call Daley has struggled with in the past – has already been made. Maguire’s move to the Blue Mountains was another masterstroke.
Most importantly, Maguire has proved that loyalty and reputations should make way for form. The series will be won at the selection table.
With football in hand, Daley was at his most effective when simply charging into the opposition. When Phil Gould was the NSW coach and Daley was the five-eighth, Gus had just one instruction: Run.
Now the mild-mannered Daley needs to metaphorically charge headlong into the opposition. If it means getting under the skin of Queensland counterpart Billy Slater, as Maguire did with his “glasshouses” sledge, so be it.
Having been on the wrong end of a dynasty, this is a chance for Daley to create his own. While he will have the great Bellamy by his side to guide him, the buck ultimately will stop with him.
This time, things will have to be different or results will be the same. As Dostoevsky also said: “Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.”
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