Coaches head into zero sum State of Origin decider with all on the line | Nick Tedeschi | Sport
It is being called the biggest game in rugby league history, such is the hyperbole that surrounds all things State of Origin. Those claims lack historical perspective, but there is absolutely no doubt that Wednesday’s decider at Suncorp Stadium is an affair of immense proportion.
The stakes are breathtakingly high. And the two with the most chips in the middle are opposing coaches Laurie Daley and Kevin Walters. Fair or not, the losing mentor is almost certain to lose their job for the 2018 series. This is all-in, heads-up, no limit hold ‘em. The players are standing. The cards have been flipped. The flop is down. The turn has been shown. It all swings on the river.
In the long history of the game, it is hard to think of a single match where both coaches knew a loss would mean the end of the line and a win would keep their career alive.
For Daley, the disappointment of a loss would be devastating. It would define his legacy as being so close yet so far. New South Wales have never had a better opportunity to win a series including the only time the Blues have lifted the trophy over the last decade, back in 2014.
The series, for all intents and purposes, should be over. The Blues dominated the Maroons for the first three halves of the series. They played to their strengths and exposed Queensland’s weaknesses. Queensland were in state of disarray on and off the field. Billy Slater missed selection in game one. Wholesale changes including Slater’s recall were made for the second match. Johnathan Thurston, who missed the opener, did so much damage to his shoulder in the second match that he was ruled out for the rest of the season.
But an act of Jarryd Hayne selfishness and a total capitulation as the spectre of victory drew near has left the series open, the Blues at a psychological disadvantage and Daley’s career on the line.
Daley took charge of the Blues in 2013 and just one series win from five will be too much for the NSWRL and likely even Daley himself to absorb. He is every chance to walk away. If he doesn’t, his contract is unlikely to be extended.
There is no question that the Blues have made significant inroads under Daley. The highlight was no doubt the 2014 series victory. Under him, the core of the Blues’ next generation has been brought to the fore, including a difficult transition from the last crop of senior players. Daley has adapted the Blues’ style â€" particularly after new advisor Peter Sterling replaced predecessor Bob Fulton this year â€" to a more direct, attacking brand that has put Queensland on the backfoot for the first time in over a decade.
But Origin is about winning and no Blues coach has survived four series losses. Daley, the second longest tenured coach in NSW history, is unlikely to prove the exception.
Perhaps more harshly with his career on the line is Walters. The Queensland boss won his first series in charge and has faced challenges in 2017 that his predecessor Mal Meninga was never confronted with. Some have been beyond his control: the string of significant injuries; taking over a dynasty near its natural end. But some have been Walters’ own making or at least those of the selection panel that he sits on.
The aforementioned Slater snub was astonishing and completely against the Queensland tradition and the generational sweep after Origin I was necessary but again went against the typical Maroons way of business. The most controversial act of potential self-harm though was the unjustifiable decision to leave Daly Cherry-Evans out of the decider as Thurston’s replacement in favour of Ben Hunt, who was playing reserve grade when the second Origin match was being played.
Walters denied Cherry-Evans was left out for political reasons but it certainly can’t be on form, class or ability. Whether Walters bowed to pressure or genuinely preferred Hunt, it won’t matter if the Maroons get beaten. There will be no acceptable excuse for a series defeat.
The rumour mill is already in overdrive with speculation that Wayne Bennett will take over for his fourth stint in 2018. The decision to go to Bennett will not be a difficult one if the Maroons get done in the decider. The brass will have more than enough ammunition to punt Walters.
Wednesday night will not only be one of the biggest matches in the history of State of Origin and arguably rugby league. It will also be a zero-sum coaching game in which only one can survive.
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