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“I don't know if there's a lot of hate out there now, but there's certainly a lot of love".

They might not be the words you'd expect to hear from a State of Origin coach on match-eve but as the leaders of the NSW and Queensland teams faced off in Perth ahead of Game II on Wednesday the theme was one of respect.

Seated beside Maroons counterpart Billy Slater at a joint press conference in Perth CBD, Blues coach Laurie Daley admitted that while Origin would forever be ‘mate v mate, state v state’, for him, it wasn’t a case of pure hate.

Slater went even further, taking aim at those outside the team camps who have levelled insults at coaches or players because they have not been trading barbs in this new-age Origin era. 

In his second stint at the helm of the Blues, Daley has had a much less turbulent ride so far and was in the mood to be magnanimous to his opponents, all the while plotting their downfall.

NSW players come together at their captain's run ahead of Origin II in Perth.
NSW players come together at their captain's run ahead of Origin II in Perth. ©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos

Asked if he "hated Queensland", Daley said: “No, no, but what I do love is my team".

Slater reciprocated the respectful tone for his current opposition.

“Look, I've got great respect for – especially those three individuals (Daley, captain Isaah Yeo and Nathan Cleary) – over there in the NSW team and what they do,” Slater said.

“I've got great respect for the passion of the people that support both these teams.

“We're not sitting in this position if it doesn't mean so much to the people of Queensland and the people of NSW.

Maroons coach Billy Slater sat next to his Blues counterpart Laurie Daley at a joint press conference in Perth.
Maroons coach Billy Slater sat next to his Blues counterpart Laurie Daley at a joint press conference in Perth. ©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos

“I don't think anyone up here is disrespectful. We all have great respect, but that care for the people and the jersey and the state that we're playing for, I think that overrides everything.

“I don't know if there's a lot of hate out there now, but there's certainly a lot of love for the individual team in the state you're from.”

However, there is no denying that Slater and the Maroons are under pressure to keep the series alive at a venue that has historically been a graveyard for Queensland hopes, losing heavily in Perth in 2019 and 2022.

After losing their last three matches, including the 2024 decider and 2025 series opener at Suncorp Stadium, Slater responded to questions about his future and whether he was feeling the pressure.

“What is pressure? To me, the opposite of pressure is comfort,” Slater said when asked if his position was in jeopardy. You're either comfortable or you're in a pressure situation.

"And I think you earn that opportunity, whether it's as a player or a coach, to be in this environment, because it means so much to the people of our states; it means so much to the people involved in the game.

“But of course there's pressure. There was pressure in grand finals. There was pressure in State of Origin games and there still is. And the day there's no pressure, I'll be a bit worried.”

June is recognised as Men’s Mental Health Month and in an extraordinary and wide-ranging press conference, Slater also highlighted the importance respectful commentary in the game.

Responding to a question about remarks by media personalities like former NSW prop Aaron Woods, Slater delivered a response he had obviously been stewing on for some time.

“When you hold a position in the media or in our game, I feel that's a privilege. And with that privilege comes a responsibility," said Slater, who also works for Nine. 

“I sit in that position most weeks and you amplify your voice to millions of people. You're not talking to your mates in the pub. 

“And I get the attention in our game. I get that. Our game creates attention, but there's a responsibility with that attention.

“When you degrade someone personally in a derogatory manner, you probably don't deserve one of those privileged positions that we're all in."

As fans started to applaud, Slater declared: “I'm not done yet".

"You don't know what people are going through. And although I might be able to handle it, the next person mightn't be. Maybe our last coach didn't.

“I believe the character of a person is judged more on what they say about people and how they treat people than what an individual says to create attention about someone.”

On the field however, the Maroons have vowed not to take a backward step in the face of an aggressive and confident New South Wales outfit.  

“I’m not scared of anyone,” Maroons prop Tino Fa’asuamaleaui said when asked about facing off again against a Blues pack that dominated the opening game.

“I just want to do my job for Queensland and I'm not going to back down from anyone and that's our whole team.

“We're just going to get out there, get our game on and do what we do best and play our game.

“Not backing down from anyone. We know what we need to do.

"We've trained really well the last few weeks, and I just can't wait to get out there and do my job for Queensland and these boys next to me.”

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