7th Tackle: Blues and Daley wanted to continue, but now?
The feeling in the NSW camp before the State of Origin opener was that Laurie Daley would’ve been content to walk away at the end of the series – had NSW won.
The coach was mindful that his successor inherit a healthy operation to make transition seamless. All was going to plan until the second half of game two, when the Blues effectively threw away the Shield.
Daley has been stone-cold silent on his future amid the past week’s tumultuous wash-up, but third parties have been trying to convince the NSWRL board to keep him on long term. Some already don’t need convincing, with chairman George Peponis declaring his support publicly.
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Other directors also believe there’s no better candidate – and argue that had Jarryd Hayne passed to Brett Morris with the try line beckoning in Sydney, all these conversations would be moot. But he didn’t, NSW lost, and now there’s blood in the water. And the crows are circling.
Daley’s supporters are convinced the past week’s stories amount to a personally motivated revenge campaign from a select group of loud individuals who haven’t been happy with the current setup for some years.
That campaign might well succeed, with the NSWRL mindful of copping more negative press.
The facts about Blake Ferguson and Josh Dugan’s day off at the pub suggest the story would not warrant air time outside these peculiar circumstances. For starters, the pair was driven to and from the hotel by a Blues staffer – the team photographer.
Another member of the camp – the owner of the cryotherapy chamber – also made the trip. They returned to Kingscliff on time for the team dinner and not affected by alcohol.
Wayne Bennett made a valid point yesterday, suggesting Queensland players would also indulge in the same behavior but weren’t subject to scrutiny because they won.
We checked with the Maroons and they, like NSW, have no policy against players drinking on their days off in camp. Shock horror. Skipper Cameron Smith is even known to have a couple of vinos with dinner.
The entire mess has been reviewed by NSWRL CEO Dave Trodden, who will present his report to the board at their scheduled meeting today.
Either Trodden or Daley – possibly both – are expected to address the media at the end of the meeting.
