'Bigger than yourself': Why Daley is better prepared second time around

Beneath the heaving stands full of celebrating Queensland fans at Suncorp Stadium, Laurie Daley sat dejected with a familiar disappointment in July of 2017.

The Blues Origin coach had just watched his charges lose the decider 22-6, his fourth series loss in five seasons, making it 11 from 12 winning years for the Maroons.

Inside he knew that was likely the end of his Origin coaching journey and he had every reason to feel let down by some individuals. He had every reason to shift blame.

But that’s not Laurie!

Just when it appeared New South Wales was finally turning the corner after a dominant Game One win and a heartbreaking close Game Two loss, the Blues stumbled amongst the ghosts of old Lang Park as the Maroons overcame the loss of Jonathan Thurston in the lead up by unleashing Cam Munster on debut. It was gut-wrenching for Daley. All losses were. But this series was supposed to be different.

In 2014 he orchestrated a huge upset, cutting off the generational Maroons dynasty at eight straight series wins with a bunch of grinders.

While still a very handy squad, compared to the Maroons this was the NSW equivalent of “Fatty’s Nevilles” from 1995. That alone had helped Daley stay on after losses in 2015 and 2016, but this time, as Queensland finally faced transition, he had the cattle. The same 17 players in all three games. It was time.

And then Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and the new kid Munster tore up the script and put them away. A young Valentine Holmes scored three times. It was nightmare fuel for Daley as his forwards lost discipline and punch, and his halves couldn’t manufacture anything outside a try from a cross-field bomb.

He had every right to torch a few players on his way out and to unload on their inability to stand up when it counted.

But that’s not Laurie!

Instead, he fronted the media for a grilling and took responsibility for the result. Those inside the camp knew Daley had been meticulous and had the side as prepared as they could be. He’d worked so hard over the years he’d gone down with shingles twice from the exhaustive efforts.

So, as the questions kept coming and Daley kept refusing to shift accountability, captain Boyd Cordner interjected and made it clear the players should be the ones putting their hand up for responsibility.

Ultimately the player support wouldn’t save the coach, and his tenure wrapped up with a 6-9 record. NSW would go on to win three of the next four series and the one they lost – the COVID series of late 2020 – is one Blues fans still can’t believe got away.

It meant a festering narrative started to build under the surface when it came to Daley’s time at the helm.

Apparently, he had been too nice. Apparently, he let others have too much say and didn’t command the necessary discipline to his own way of thinking. Apparently, Daley didn’t have the mongrel or passion others might. They thought he wasn’t ruthless enough. The old saying is nice guys finish last, and plenty of people were suggesting this applied to the man who was skipper in the early 1990s dominant NSW era.

Now it is those pundits who are surprised to see Daley back. Recalled to the top job in a unique circumstance – with a series winning team. With Michael Maguire moving on to the Broncos NRL job, the vacancy for the Westpac NSW Blues coach fell back to Daley and those critics are just waiting for him to fail so they can again stick the knife in and twist it.

Perhaps those people don’t remember Daley the Origin player. The man who led by example. Playing in the halves didn’t stop Daley providing a bone-rattling hit against a bigger opponent or taking a tough carry into the teeth of the opposition when the Blues needed it. And for the record, his captain for four of the five series as coach, Paul Gallen, recently said the above chatter about Daley was misguided and, in fact, Laurie was as passionate as anyone.

Daley has heard the nice guy narrative but refuses to worry about it. While this is a chance to show that being nice is not a weakness but a strength, his own personal coaching legacy is not a driving factor. He will have a harder edge this time around - but in preparation, not in personality.

As the lead up to the series intensifies and the media landscape widens, so has demands on Daley’s time. And yet he’s fronted up and taken it all head on. While he has taken lessons from last time out, bunkering down and being unpleasant or unaccommodating is not something he will be trying. He could obviously take aim at his critics on these platforms.

But that’s not Laurie!

“As a leader you have to take responsibility, it is as simple as that sometimes,” Daley tells NRL.com. “Origin has such small margins for error, so you have to get it right. You have to nail it, otherwise you end up on the wrong end of the score line.

"I could easily say that during that period of time we lost four games by a combined total of seven points and if we just won those moments in those games, the tight games, it's a different story… but at the end of the day we
didn't. It's a loss. It goes down as a loss. It doesn't go down as NSW lost but geez they tried hard. It's just win, or lose and go home.”

The dream team 

These fine margins have led Daley to work even harder in the lead up to his return. Keen eyes have seen him inside the coach’s box numerous times at NRL games and while he maintains a solid work schedule with his media commitments, the rest of his time is drowned in Origin preparation.

With the help of Melbourne Storm's GM of football, Frank Ponissi, he feels on top of scheduling and planning, and with Craig Bellamy as a sounding board and official advisor, and assistant coaches Dean Young, Brett White and Matt King, the connection to current NRL stars is strong.

“Craig’s role will help as we select players, but his focus will be on the coaches,” Daley explains. “He’s not focusing in on game plans, and not focusing in on opposition, it's about how we can get better as coaches.

"His experience is invaluable, as has been his honesty. He has said he's an open book, he'll give his opinion, but at the end of the day he says I’m the coach and I must decide what's right and what's wrong and how I want to implement things. He’s confident in the team and it’s great to have that relationship with him.

“The biggest difference from last time is I’m bringing even more focus and doing even more planning and preparation work because of course the game has changed since then. Not that I wasn’t working tirelessly last time but the scrutiny and pressure is even higher now. We may have got a few things wrong when I was coach before but I also think we did a lot of things right and so you can't forget about those.

The game continues to evolve and now it’s faster than ever, but one thing that hasn’t changed in Origin is why you do it and who we play for. That has never changed.

“It’s bigger than yourself. It's about the state you're representing, it's about the people who come from your state, and it’s about putting the team ahead of oneself.”

Flair with grit

Daley is smart enough not to give too much away in terms of the style he is looking to play, but the team selected for Origin I suggests speed and skill will certainly be part of the plan that always includes showing an unwavering desire to get into the trenches.

During the Maroons dominance the Blues were forced to get super gritty, given they were outmatched in certain skill factors, but with a bit of luck Daley will have a fully fit squad bursting with both defensive heart and attacking flair.

“One thing about Origin is you have to make sure that you have a fit and healthy squad and you've got to make sure that you know players are buying into the style of footy you want to play,” Daley says. “I want Origin players that can continually compete at that level.

It's not about the most talented player, it's about the player that when he puts on that jersey, he's not willing to give in.

"I'm a big believer in getting us right before we worry about Queensland. That's not to say you're not going to cover off on what the opposition will do, but a lot more focus will be on us rather than on them. In my players, I look for a trust factor. Under pressure… what are people going to deliver for you? With the players we are looking at, I know I’ll be confident in what they can deliver.”

Evolving with the game

The HIA rules and the ‘six-again’ era are of course new to Daley the coach, but he hasn’t been invisible to it. Finding the balance in his forward pack has been a big focus in terms of how many middle forwards to carry and he has also scrutinised how to best use both the utility role on the bench and who can be 18th man.

That slot has evolved from being a position you might use to just bring a fringe contender into the environment to a player who absolutely could be called on during the contest.

Other lessons Daley has learned is not to try to push a square peg into a round hole even if it means a bench player could sit on the sideline throughout the contest. And tough decisions have to be made at the selection table, especially if players aren’t fully fit. This is where his harder edge will reside – putting the team ahead of individuals no matter how big they are.

“That’s the overarching theme. What’s best for the team and their preparation," Daley says. "At the end of the day my job will be preparing a fit squad as best we can and providing an environment that allows them to play their best football and succeed. I am confident I can do that.”

Now that IS Laurie!