New details emerge about how Craig Bellamy secured NSW State of Origin job for Laurie Daley
The Blues great is set to return for his second crack at coaching the State of Origin side.
NSWRL Chairman Paul Conlon has explained how the inclusion of Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy convinced Blues bosses to give Laurie Daley another crack at coaching the NSW State of Origin side. Daley was on Monday unveiled as the successful candidate to take over the Blues' coaching role from Michael Maguire, who helped NSW reclaim the Origin shield from the Maroons this year before agreeing to join the Broncos as their new head coach.
Daley's appointment has divided fans, with many pointing to his unflattering record as Blues coach as evidence that NSW bosses should have gone in a new direction. Daley was axed by the Blues after dropping his third straight series as coach in 2017, and he only oversaw six wins in 15 games in charge. The Blues great did oversee a 2014 series win that snapped Queensland's eight-year stranglehold on the Origin Shield, but overall his record was poor.
NSW and Roosters assistant coach Matt King was reportedly the only other candidate out of several others that was interviewed for the role but ultimately Blues powerbrokers decided to give Daley another shot. And Conlon says the fact Bellamy - who is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the game - agreed to come on board with Daley as a special advisor, convinced NSW powerbrokers that it was the right move.
"Laurie did say that he'd reached out to Craig Bellamy to see whether Craig would come onboard as an advisor if Laurie was ultimately appointed," the NSWRL chairman told SEN. "And ultimately Craig came back and said 'yes' of course. That, in my view, was an added attraction as to why we would go down the path of Laurie Daley."
Laurie Daley expected to retain most of this year's Blues staff
Along with the expertise of Storm maestro Bellamy, the Blues coach says he also plans to pick Maguire's brain and find out what things worked and what didn't during this year's Origin series victory. Daley is also expected to use the same NSW camps in the Blue Mountains and it's understood the majority of Maguire's staff have been retained.
"Laurie understands that he hasn't been coaching for a number of years now, however his background, his pedigree... both as a player and a coach, he's got a great support staff around him of present, existing assistant coaches. And just to have that incredible backstop, that mentor of Craig Bellamy I think is just a real added bonus to that whole 2025 Origin campaign," Conlon added.
Blues officials expect King to accept an offer to stay on as a senior assistant, despite the fact he missed out on the top job. And Daley - who came into camp as an assistant under Maguire last season before putting his hand up to lead the state after the former coach's exit - says he will lean heavily on Maguire again to try and mastermind another series victory in 2025.
"I will be all over (Maguire) like a cheap suit," Daley said. "I will find out what he thought worked, didn't work, camps, most of the staff are still there. There is no reason to stray too far from what he's done. Tactically, what worked and what didn't .... I'll work with him and bounce a few ideas."
The biggest difference in the Blues' structure will be Bellamy, with Daley admitting he didn't think he'd be able to convince his old Canberra Raiders teammate to agree to the advisory role. The pair will share a coach's box at the Storm for select matches before Origin to see how each other work, and Bellamy will spend long periods of time working with the NSW players in camp, having previously expressed a reluctance to coach against his own players.
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"He will be more about us rather than strategy on the opposition," Daley said. "It's more about as a coaching group how you are working, why you strategise that way, how you're talking to the players, what message are you trying to deliver. And then on the team side of things, looking at what he looks for in players. Selecting the team will be part of his role as well."
