- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Not again. The Queensland team was supposed to be too old and slow. Adam Reynolds’ kicking game was meant to make all the difference. Matt Moylan was going to translate his dominant club form into the beginnings of a long Origin career. Instead, it was more of the same.
In the wake of another crushing yet largely unsurprising series defeat for NSW, Phil Gould’s disappointment was as obvious as the auburn rinse colouring his snowy locks. In a blistering assault on no one in particular, Gould hijacked Channel Nine’s post-game Origin coverage to call out non-specific members of the fallen NSW side, and accused them of putting their own personal glory ahead of team success.
It was vintage Gus. Throughout an agenda-soaked monologue of pure, unadulterated Gould, the Penrith supremo vented his toxic views on the selfish attitude of certain senior members of the current team. Gus’s poisonous spray uttered not a single player’s name, yet left viewers in no doubt as to the object of his bile. Let’s call him Paul G. No wait, that’s too obvious, let’s go with P Gallen.
Listening to Gus dole out 50 tongues lashes across Gallen’s scarred back was surprising, but it was hardly without precedent. Gould routinely climbs atop his two-headed soapbox (Channel Nine and the Sydney Morning Herald) to spout his opinions and grind his axes, with the NSW side one of his favourite targets. And while he remains a staunch NSW supporter and an unashamedly biased Origin commentator, Gould never shies away from opining on the dire state of the NSW team, and what should be done to improve it.
His latest Origin opus demands that the Blues do away with the stale senior stalwarts, and instead focus on blooding the next generation of footballers not yet sullied with the suffocating stench of defeat. He pleads for a more open, instinctive attacking style, allowing players to react to what they see, rather than planning for what they might expect. But NSW no longer needs Gus to state the bleeding obvious. We need him to do something about it.
Everyone has an opinion on Phil Gould. Most people hate him, some love to hate him, and a couple of people apparently don’t mind him. But despite Gus being more divisive than an obelus, there are few who can question his coaching credentials, particularly at State of Origin level. Gould was at the helm of the NSW team for a grand total of eight Origin series, winning six, drawing one and losing one. His winning record of 58 per cent remains the highest among his modern Blue contemporaries, and he has coached the team to more series victories than any other Cockroach clipboard carrier.
So with the looming Blexit of current coach Laurie Daley, is it finally time for Gus to stop talking and starting helping? Yes yes yes yes yes! But before I launch into my case for Gould’s reinstatement, let’s have a quick glance at the other potential candidates.
The most obvious options are Ivan Cleary and Geoff Toovey, two well respected and well credentialled club coaches, who are both currently without a full time first grade appointment. John Cartwright has a wealth of coaching experience and might also be worth a look, as would a couple of former Origin players cutting their coaching teeth such as Danny Buderus or Brett Kimmorley.
These blokes are all suitable options, but NSW have been down this path before. Craig Bellamy and Ricky Stuart arrived on the scene as successful current coaches with impressive CVs, but each left the Origin arena without a single series victory to their name.
Laurie Daley is rated as one of the greatest to ever don the Blue jersey, and was hired in the hope he could impart even a modicum of his passion and experience to his players. And while Laurie did manage to ruin Mal Meninga’s quest for the Origin equivalent of bowling a perfect game, his record of one series win out of four is miserable and unacceptable. So instead of looking for the next great NSW coach, I suggest we just bring back the original.
Gus exudes something NSW have lacked for over a decade now, the arrogant swagger of someone who thinks they have already won. His brash aura of self-important smug has a habit of spreading throughout his player group, giving his teams the confidence and belief that they are always the better side. Put simply, players under Gus expect to win, because he is a winner. For NSW to have any hoping of putting the darkness of the last decade behind them, this shift in mentality is critical.
Look no further than Mal Meninga and his all-conquering Queensland juggernaut for evidence of the power of confidence. All too often the Maroons had beaten NSW before the teams had even stepped onto the park, because deep down inside, the Blues didn’t believe they were good enough. Short of bringing on Tony Robbins or Dr Phil as assistant coach, the appointment of Gus is the most positive step NSW can make in addressing this crippling stranglehold of self-doubt.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not naïve enough to believe that bringing Gus back into the NSW setup will be an instant remedy to all of what ails the Blues. The Maroons Immortal nucleus remains intact, and the next generation of Queensland superstars is already beating down the door and demanding selection. On the other side of the tweed, much like his predecessors, Gould will be forced to pick through the player scraps to dress mutton up as lamb.
Many will argue that Gus is out of touch, having not coached at any level since 2004. Rubbish. As Mal proved when he took over the Queensland side, coaching a State of Origin team is more like being a caddy. You give your men a couple of pointers here and there, make a few suggestions, but 90 per cent of the focus is on the mental side of the game. This is Gould’s strength, and the Blues’ weakness. Gus is an excellent orator, and his ability to instill hunger and belief into his players is the first step in building a new culture of success.
Most importantly, I believe Origin needs Phil Gould. No offence to Kevin Walters and Laurie Daley, but their cute slap and tickle routine on NRL 360 is nauseating. The mind-games and manipulative media sound bites have been sadly missing from Origin this year, replaced by vapid, hollow clichés. I understand they are ex-teammates and have the utmost respect for one another, but come on guys, give us something! A bit of passion or anger. Heck I would settle for a throw-away remark taken out of context!
Gus would have no trouble in this department. The walking rent-a-quote would do for State of Origin what Eddie Jones has done for rugby during the recent series against the Poms.
So if you’re reading this George Peponis, please do the state of New South Wales a favour and send out a GUS-O-S. What have we got to lose?