Melbourne skipper Jesse Bromwich says he’d be excited if Billy Slater took on the head coach role at the NRL club after the retired fullback emerged as a shock contender to succeed Craig Bellamy.
Bellamy is still to make a call on when he will shift into a director of coaching role at the club but the Storm are already considering who will take the coaching reins, with Slater now reportedly in the mix.
The 38-year-old has taken on the Queensland State of Origin coaching duties and this week announced his former Storm captain Cameron Smith would join him as an assistant.
Slater already works as a television commentator and breeds horses from his outer Melbourne property, although his role at AFL club St Kilda was a casualty of COVID-19 budget cuts.
Bromwich said that before his retirement at the end of 2018, Slater already acted like a coach at the club.
“I’ve never seen anyone so passionate about our game and someone like Billy Slater as coach of this club, how good would that be?,” the prop said on Wednesday. “Whether that’s now or in a few years time I’m not too sure, but I’ll be really excited if that was to happen one day.
“When he was a player, it felt like he was a coach anyway at this club; he was so vocal and he’s got so much knowledge about the game and I think he’ll be a really good coach.
“He’s just really committed to the game and he just really loves the game.”
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
Warriors want all 2023 games in NZ
Warriors chief executive Cameron George has called for every one of the club’s NRL games in 2023 to be played in New Zealand.
The Warriors last week got the green light to return home to Mt Smart Stadium for their round 16 clash with the Wests Tigers on July 3 following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
The club can return sooner, should they wish, but George said he wanted the club to remain based in Redcliffe until they have the chance to play in front of a packed house. But in the following season, he says he wants to have the Warriors playing in New Zealand every week to reboot the sport in the country.
“It works for the game, because it can inspire the next generation and gives something back to the Warriors after being on the road for three years,” he told AAP. “You’re dealing with a country that provides a large percentage of the talent pool of the NRL.
“It’s important that the game looks at it because we haven’t had a professional presence here in New Zealand and we need to put rugby league back in the lap of Kiwis.”
The Warriors have spent the past three years on the road, using the Central Coast and Redcliffe as their home venues. After giving up that advantage, George hopes to have the tables turned and believes the other 16 NRL clubs in 2023 can benefit.
“For the entire season we would like to see the Warriors playing in New Zealand, but not with home ground advantage,” he said. “We’d play our home games at Mt Smart and then instead of playing Canberra, for example, in Canberra, you take the game to Dunedin.
“I think there’s a very big opportunity today for the New Zealand government to try and rebuild the economy with visitation to places like Christchurch, Wellington or Dunedin. People are probably sceptical about travelling long distances, but it’s only a three-hour flight to get to New Zealand and then you’re straight back to Australia.”
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Madge not fearful of axe falling
Michael Maguire is not fearful of the axe falling at the Wests Tigers despite narrowly surviving an end-of-season review last year and starting 2022 with three straight losses.
Pressure is mounting on the coach after the controversial loss to the Warriors last Friday in which the Tigers had a clear try disallowed and they head to the Gold Coast on Thursday night desperate to break their duck.
Their assignment has been made harder with young gun Stefano Utoikamanu ruled out with an ankle injury for up to two months, the prop joining suspended five-eighth Jackson Hastings and injured trio Adam Doueihi, Tommy Talau and Shawn Blore on the club’s list of unavailable talent.
In an interview with News Corp, Maguire said he trusted Wests Tigers football boss Tim Sheens to ride out the tough times.
“I’m not worried about being sacked, not at all,” he said.
“I’ve been here a while now and everyone is after results, which is where the pressure is coming from. But Sheensy and I are on the same page.
“The beauty of Tim is that he is experienced and he doesn’t panic. He gets it. He understands where we are at the moment as a club. Sheensy has been around the game a long time and knows the journey we’re on. I’m comfortable.”
Lockyer admits risk with rookie Maroons coaches
Maroons selector Darren Lockyer admits there is risk involved with an inexperienced coaching set-up for this year’s State of Origin series but is confident the all-star line-up can get the job done.
Rookie coach Billy Slater will be joined by assistants Johnathan Thurston, Cameron Smith and Josh Hannay, who is the only member of the quartet with NRL experience from acting as a caretaker during stints at the Cowboys and Sharks.
Lockyer told Wide World of Sports’ QLDer program he was happy with the mix of three all-time Queensland legends supported by Hannay, who also represented the Maroons in the Origin arena.
“The fact that there’s three guys in particular who have played so many games for Queensland, the players that’ll be there in camp will obviously buy into what they’re saying. And that’s really important at that level and it’s good to have the trio together, the big three is back,” he said.
“I think there is an element of risk there, yeah. But I think coaching is about being across the detail and getting the players to play for you.
“I’ve got no doubt that the detail will be covered by Billy especially, and Josh Hannay. Getting the players to play for you, you’ve got three of the best in the history of the Queensland team giving the message so I think that’s a recipe for success.
Queensland’s Origin king, Wally Lewis, echoed Lockyer’s sentiments by saying he thought the foursome had pretty much all bases covered.
“There being a fullback and a hooker there as well as a halfback and a centre, you’ve got guys there who are quite comfortable in the different positions so the advice when they’re talking to each other will be first class,” he said.
“Hopefully good things are ahead for the Maroons.”
Queensland have lost three of the past four series and were humiliated in game one last year, 50-6, before losing the second match 26-0 and saving face in the finale with a 20-18 triumph under Paul Green, who walked away from the post.