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Opinion

Is Brad Fittler the reason for New South Wales' Blues?

7th June, 2023
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7th June, 2023
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Brad Fittler only coaches three games a year, but finds himself in a massive slump. Facing his third series loss in four attempts the likeable rogue has not matched his on-field prowess to his off-field responsibilities.

The 51 year old still holds the playing record for NSW with 31 appearances, after sensationally debuting as an 18 year old in 1990.

He also is the youngest ever Kangaroo tourist having been selected for Australia later that same year. Fittler won Premierships with both Penrith and the Roosters, and also won the World Cup three times, twice as captain in 1995 and 2000.

However as a coach Fittler’s history is not so impressive reading. Despite signing a three-year-deal with the Roosters in August 2007 as head coach, the 2000 Golden Boot winner was gone at the end of the 2009 season, as the Roosters collected the wooden spoon with only five wins from 24 matches.

As a player for NSW between 1990-2004, Fittler had a modest 54% win rate, certainly better than another former long term player – Paul Gallen who infamously won 1 series out of 11, finishing with a 37% win rate.

There is no doubt that Bradley Scott Fittler is a true great of the game, he was a Dally M Player of the Year in three different positions, he was inducted into the NSWRL Hall of Fame in 2017 and if the Immortals were better organised he would almost certainly be one by now.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 02: Blues coach Brad Fittler looks on during a New South Wales Blues State of Origin squad training session at Ignite HQ Centre of Excellence on June 02, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

Blues coach Brad Fittler. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

But this hasn’t transitioned to his coaching career and despite being right in the contest with 12 minutes to go in Game 1 2023, his inadequacies were well and truly laid bare with his poor selections and bench use heavily exposed by a determined and under-manned Queensland side, down to 12 players and an interchange bench themselves wrecked by injury.

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Fittler, Alexander and co had 12 months to pick a team to beat their arch enemy but failed miserably. It did seem they wanted a couple of bully’s in their squad in TPJ and Hudson Young to match fire with fire, but sensationally made the decision to start them both. If that wasn’t bad enough it was very obvious if this tactic didn’t come off there was no Plan B.

Young wasn’t seen after an uneventful 30 minutes, Pangai-Junior played even less with an uninspiring 20 minute opening stint followed by a dreadful 9 minutes in the second half before being hooked. On top of this Josh Addo-Carr couldn’t get near the squad last year but this season even after being injured for a large part was deemed an automatic selection.

This is where Fittler can be confusing. 31 year old Tyson Frizell a similar story, hardly in barnstorming form at club level but recalled after missing the 2022 series.

NSW certainly find themselves in a world of trouble as they enter Game 2 in Brisbane, and this was before Nathan Cleary was ruled out for the remainder of the series. But what keeps everyone watching and the die hard fans believing is the result of Game 2 last season in Perth.

A resounding 44-12 victory led by Man of the Match maestro Cleary but ably supported by the Dogs dynamo Matt Burton. Missing in this years series so far from that winning side are Burton, Daniel Tupou, Jake Trbojevic, Angus Crichton, Damien Cook and Siosifa Talakai. This was after Ryan Matterson, Regan Campbell-Gillard, Kotoni Staggs and Tariq Simms were discarded after Game 1 in 2022.

So again, Fittler previously had 12 preceding months to get his team selection right for the opening game but got it horribly wrong. History shows his Game 2 selections cannot be argued with but again NSW came up short in Game 3, with Ben Hunt scoring a spectacular 78th-minute try to consign the Blues to another series loss under Fittler’s tenure.

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So it would seem for Game 2 of this season NSW will likely make 5 or so changes, some injury forced. Strong words were used when Cook was discussed as missing on the bench, surely he cant back track and include him? Although he certainly should have been included for Game 1.

But despite last season’s heroic result it doesn’t seem very likely that NSW will be able to match the Game 2 highs. A settled Queensland side awaits at Suncorp with a squad more than capable of covering the losses of Tom Gilbert and Jai Arrow.

It would seem Fittler’s inconsistent selections, his coaching structures and the slight arrogance that he and Alexander show is about to well and truly catch up with him, and heap more misery on the battling Blues.

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