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In the past days, months and years there has been no shortage of debate around the NSW line-up as desperate Blues fans search for a solution to end eight years of State of Origin misery.
While it is widely accepted that the current Queensland team is an extraordinary outfit full of once-in-a-generation players, the endurance of Queensland’s domination is unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated, though it could well extend to 2014 and beyond.
While the talent of the Queenslanders cannot be questioned, the Blues cannot claim to have been short of talented players. For each of the last eight years NSW and Queensland started each series at 0-0, only for NSW to fall short each year.
At this level, talent is quite even, and it comes down to preparation and execution when the series is on the line. Queensland have been far superior in both respects.
With respect to these critical success factors, the responsibility lies with the coach to prepare the team and to ensure the main decision makers have the tools and guidance to know how to control the game at crucial, series-defining moments.
The selection of certain players has been a recurring theme, but at what point does the coach and structure come under scrutiny?
Since the beginning of this eight-year period NSW has used a number of coaches of varying experience and backgrounds.
The late Graham Murray was an excellent coach but did not have success in big games, losing two grand finals and two Origin series.
Ricky Stuart, who won an Origin Series and a premiership early in his career, had little success in recent years.
Craig Bellamy, was a title winning, inspirational coach who seemed somehow conflicted and short of solutions with Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Greg Inglis in the opposite camp.
The incumbent Laurie Daley, part of the Ricky Stuart support team of 2011/12, has no top-line coaching credentials and no record of success.
It is true that Mal Meninga started with a similar background to Daley, however Meninga was able to find early success and has built on it year after year and has proven himself a true leader.
NSW need to find a proven and consistent winner to deliver NSW victory. Someone who does not accept that opposition teams are better but instead devises strategy and tactics to overcome opposition by exploiting the strength of his own squad.
This article is not going to compare the pros and cons of different candidates. Should Daley fail to break the curse in 2014, then Des Hasler should be the only candidate considered for the NSW coaching post, whether or not he’s at the Bulldogs.
Under Hasler, Manly were the team of the decade despite overcoming incredible adversity at different stages. His record does not require repeating, his credentials are towering.
Hasler showed in his time at Manly the ability to build and maintain a strong culture and, just as importantly, he left a lasting legacy.
He may not be the affable media type that Daley is, and he probably wouldn’t be a popular appointment among the NSW hierarchy given his reputation for being difficult to manage. But who cares? The job of the coach is to win two out of three games over two months.
I wish the Blues all the best and I hope I am proven wrong, but should we fall short then a winning coach is needed and Des Hasler is the answer.
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