On July five, fans from both sides of the border will be either celebrating or mourning the result of the decider the night before.
One man though, once the hysteria and emotion has settled down, will be expected to make a decision as to who he provides his services to next.
Ricky Stuart, the man who has the hopes of seven million resting on his shoulders as next Wednesday night approaches, has been the subject of considerable media speculation as to whether he will coach in the NRL. A move away from the coaching role of the Blues is likely for Stuart as he has mentioned that he sees himself in a full-time coaching role again.
Finding a job will not be hard for Ricky as a plethora of clubs are reportedly sizing up offers for him once the Origin series comes to it’s climax.
Journalists and forum sites have speculated freely for the past few months over Stuart’s options, with three clubs seemingly the most likely to garner his services: Parramatta, Canberra and the Sydney Roosters.
All three of these currently embattled clubs are quite obviously in desperate need for change. Eels coach Stephen Kearney has been increasingly feeling the heat all season as the side fails to climb off the bottom of the ladder, achieving just three wins from 14 games. Due to this, the Eels were touted as favourites to have Ricky Stuart as coach in 2013. However, recent form has brought the Canberra Raiders and Sydney Roosters back into the equation, with Ricky having strong connections with both clubs.
In recent days, many have reported that the Raiders are now in fact in the lead to sign their former halfback.
Where does New South Wales stand in all of this? Despite increasing their offers to Stuart to as much as $500,000 a year, it is still expected that the lure of club footy will be too much for the Blues coach. Stuart’s success in creating a culture within the Blues camp and among everyone in the state of NSW will be hard to match for the next man in charge and is desperately sought after by whichever club he decides to coach in 2013.
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