Opinion
The ANZAC Round’s theme of mateship highlighted what good rugby league teams are all about.
There’s no comparison to the bravery and true heroism that our Diggers went through on the battlefront compared to what footy players do on the field.
But the theme of mateship struck a chord with me. It’s been part of every successful rugby league team I’ve ever been a part of, whether as a player or a coach, at any level.
It’s one of the main reasons why one state can sometimes hold sway at State of Origin level.
If you look at any of the great sides over the eras, they’ve all had that common theme. It was certainly evident when Mal Meninga took over at the Maroons in 2006 for that golden era of the next decade.
It’s been apparent at the Blues since Brad Fittler came on as coach four years ago and Billy Slater is looking to bring that back to the forefront with the Maroons now that he’s got the gig.
Slater knows all about it better than pretty much anyone.
He was part of that golden generation of Queensland players who came through at the same time and he had Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis and Will Chambers alongside him at club level with Melbourne as well as Queensland.
Those guys had some pretty special bonds with the Broncos guys – Darren Lockyer, Justin Hodges, Karmichael Hunt, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker and Matt Gillett – and the posse of Cowboys up north led by Johnathan Thurston, Matt Bowen, Brent Tate and Matt Scott. They also had some senior mentors in Petero Civinoceva and Steve Price.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
They were not just a tight knit group, they were mates who enjoyed each other’s company. You don’t always get that but when you do, it’s something special.
Mal also had a lot of great mates (who had played plenty of Origins together) on the staff including Alfie Langer, Trevor Gillmeister, Steve and Kevin Walters, Mark Coyne, Jason Hetherington, Gavin Allen and myself. He put great value on people who knew what playing and preparing for Origin was all about. And he was strong on the education of any players who came into the Origin arena and ensuring they knew of its history and the prestige of wearing the Maroon jumper.
Those Maroons teams had leaders across the park – Smith was the captain but he had Thurston, Scott, Lockyer, Inglis and Hodges, who were skippers at club level as well as Cronk and Slater, who didn’t have official roles but help set the standards.
Slater having two of his great mates in Cam Smith and JT on his coaching staff will only add to the bond between everyone in camp. I’ve never seen a better vocal player on a training or playing field than Slater. His ability to break down an opposition is second to none and he will thrive in the Origin coaching arena.
It was something that developed over time but he created a new benchmark for fullbacks with the way he would marshal his troops from the back, organising the defensive line, coming up to the front line when needed and often leading the kick-chase.
Origin is about the start of your sets. If you return a kick well and get on the front foot, you’re a chance. But if you don’t do that, the opposition gains the momentum and it has a snowball effect.
The Blues did that really well last year when they thrashed Queensland in the first two games before the Maroons saved some face by winning the last one.
James Tedesco, Brian To’o, Tom Trbojevic, Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo Carr sometimes twice in the same set, would make strong yardage gains and the rest would flow from there.
Going back to the camaraderie theme, you can see how Freddie Fittler has instilled that in his squad in recent times.
The Blues also have the luxury of bringing club combinations into the state set-up. Penrith will have Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Isaiah Yeo, To’o and maybe a few others like Liam Martin, Api Koroisau and Stephen Crichton in the squad.
(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)
They’ve also had a bit of a Rabbitohs flavour in recent years with Damien Cook, Cody Walker and Latrell Mitchell, plus a few Roosters guys like Tedesco, Angus Crichton and Boyd Cordner helping build the camaraderie, which is not always easy to do when you’ve got players from so many clubs brought together to prepare for a short space of time.
And they’ve had strong leaders – Cordner and Tedesco being supported by people like Wade Graham from Cronulla, Jake Trbojevic at Manly, Cook from the Bunnies who are all experienced at setting standards for the younger guys to follow.
And Freddy has also surrounded himself with quality former players such as Greg Alexander, Danny Buderus, Craig Fitzgibbon and Andrew Johns who were dominant players and great mates for the Blues in their era and have swung the Origin momentum in their favour by winning three of the last four series.
For me, the importance of mateship is best summed up by the motto at the Newcastle Knights to “be the player that other players want to play with”, which was coined by the club’s first coach, the late, great Allan McMahon.
Back in those early days, the players’ player was the award everyone wanted to get and guys like Marc Glanville, Robbie McCormack, Paul Marquet would be the ones who would often get that accolade by doing all the dirty work.
That’s not just needed in club footy. Every successful Origin team has had those kinds of players. I think of people like Nate Myles and Ashley Harrison in that Maroons golden era who weren’t the stars of the team but were essential in supporting the higher-profile big names.
If you can look along the defensive line and see players like that by your side, you have the confidence to win any game against any team no matter the situation.
Michael Hagan is a former dual-premiership winning first grade player and current assistant coach of Australia's Kangaroos team. Hagan played 183 games for Canterbury and Newcastle and represented Queensland five times. He transitioned into a successful coach and took the Knights to a premiership in his first year in charge back in 2001. He went onto coach 205 NRL games and six times for Queensland in Origin.
Haumole Olakau'atu was off to the sin bin just four minutes into the Manly-Parramatta clash, with Shaun Lane forced from the field for assessment.
Joey Manu insists an All Blacks cap remains a distant goal, even if his impending switch to the 15-player game has experts excited about…
NRL signings, contracts and rosters for the 2024 season and beyond.
Former NRL star Blake Ferguson has had his contract shockingly terminated by the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs effective immediately, having played just one game for…
South Sydney winger Taane Milne is lucky to only be facing a ban of 2-3 matches for his nasty tackle on Cameron Munster in…
The Jackson Topine lawsuit raises issues of significant importance for player welfare and the duty of care owed to players by NRL clubs. In…
