Laurie Daley.Credit: Steven Siewert
As you walk from the change rooms of the NSWRL headquarters to the playing field at Accor Stadium, there is a tunnel adorned with murals of series-winning Blues captains.
On the way to this interview, Laurie Daley walks past a likeness of himself hoisting the State of Origin shield. Perhaps our photographer could take a shot of him here?
“Oh no mate,” Daley says apologetically. “I hate it. Over time I just stay away from it, don’t put yourself in that position.
“It’s one of those [past glories] where you go, it’s gone, done, dusted. We don’t own it.”
When it comes to his time in the sky blue, Daley has not only a storied past, but one that haunts him. After overcoming a difficult initiation as a player – he was dropped after losing his first two games – he stamped himself as one of the greatest of all the Origin greats.
But this story is about Daley the coach, not the player. About whether one of the most genial, affable figures in the game can make the tough calls with the clipboard.
Over the course of our lunch conversation, Daley talks about his learnings from his first stint as NSW coach. It garnered just one win from five series, at a 40 per cent success rate, albeit against the greatest Queensland team ever assembled.
Laurie Daley has a difficult relationship with State of Origin.Credit: Steven Siewert
If there was a knock on his tenure, it was that Daley showed loyalty to players who maybe did not deserve it. That some of his charges took advantage of his laid-back nature, failing to mirror the coach’s care for the jersey.
It has raised questions about his suitability for the role. There is more to Origin than the game on the field: coaches must first navigate the selection table, the media glare, the club agendas, the “rats and filth”, as Mal Meninga once referred to sections of the media ready to turn on you if results aren’t forthcoming.
And then there’s the Cane Toads, forever the underdogs despite often fielding a superior side.
It begs the question: is Laurie Daley too darn nice to be the coach of NSW?
“I think people misunderstand me at times,” Daley says. “People misunderstand me because I try to be respectful. People may see that as weakness, whereas I like to think I’m fair. I’d like to think I’m honest.
“I like to think that I can be those things and still make the decisions that need to be made.
“If people have a perception of me, I can’t change that. But I’d like to think that people that know me and that have worked with me know I’m very committed, very passionate and give everything I have.
“At the end of the day, mate, I’ll be just as disappointed as anyone if we don’t get the result, and I’ll be just as happy as anyone if we win.”
Laurie Daley and Paul Gallen celebrate a memorable, and rare, win over Queensland in 2014.Credit: Anthony Johnson
That’s not quite true. No one will feel the sting of defeat harder than Daley if his Blues fall short. After his first coaching campaign in 2013, a heartbreaking 2-1 series loss, the defeat took such a toll that he suffered shingles and struggled to get out of bed afterwards.
“It’s amazing, the amount of stress,” he says. “You think you’ll be better for it this time around, but when you lose, you’ve let everyone down.
“You carry that weight, and you can never sort of let it go through that moment.
“Eventually, you recover and get back on with it, but you feel terrible. You carry it with you for a long period of time … When you’re in charge, you feel it.
“You feel the emotional connection to the team, you feel the emotional connection to the state.
“You feel like you’ve got a responsibility to lead them and get the job done. That’s what you’re employed to do and that’s what you’ve got to do. Origin is small margins, there’s not much difference between winning and losing.
“You just gotta get the decisions right on the night and be as best prepared as you can and leave it in the hands of the players.”
Laurie Daley holds up the Origin shield in 1994.Credit: Getty Images
In many respects, Daley is on a hiding to nothing. Those first, agonising losses of his coaching career came at the hands of Maroons teams featuring Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk.
“We played in a number of close games; I think there’s four games there that we lost by a combined total of seven points,” Daley recalls.
“So, if you win them, different story, but at the end of the day, we didn’t.”
There is no shame in losing to such a stacked Queensland side. But to come back into the fold, and then lose to the current one?
Even if Daley is on the right side of the ledger, some will say that he is simply the beneficiary of the groundwork done by his predecessor, Michael Maguire.
So why put yourself through it all over again?
Laurie Daley and the Blues come to terms with another series defeat, this time in 2017. He lost his job later that year.Credit: NRL Photos
“It’s one of those questions that everyone asks,” Daley says with a grin. “I’ve always lived my life with no regrets. I didn’t think I’d be back here … Once you’ve been asked to be back in the fold, it’s just one of those things that you just can’t describe to people.
“Once it’s in your blood, you love it. You can’t re-create that feeling that you have anywhere else when you retire.
“When you think you’ve got something to offer as well, you are passionate about NSW, you want to see them do well … You get an opportunity, you’ve got to grab it with both hands.
“That’s not to say that you, you don’t have any thoughts about not doing it, it’s just one of those ones that you think about it and then go, yep, once I’m committed, once you’re in, you’re in.”
Of course, Daley won’t be doing it all on his own. In his corner is another Blues mentor seeking redemption. Craig Bellamy is arguably the best coach in the game, who has a record of sustained excellence, albeit one that hasn’t yet transferred to the interstate arena.
Bellamy coached NSW in three series, from 2008 to 2010, but only won two matches. However, his reputation has only grown since that blip on his record, and he will join Daley in the coaches box on Wednesday night.
“I know Bellyache, he’s so passionate, he loves it and that’s why he is who he is,” Daley says.
“His team feel his passion, and they also know he’s coming from a great spot and that’s why he’s got relationships with them.
“It’s not a coach riding them for the sake of riding them. He cares, and they know it’s coming from a good spot. I enjoy watching the relationship between him and the players.
“Having him in the box with me on the night to bounce ideas off, he’ll have a different perspective than what we will.
“At the end of the day, I’ve still got to make that decision, but it’s always nice to have someone like that around you.”
Undoubtedly, Daley gets Origin. Perhaps this time around, he will also have the cattle required to get the job done.
“It’s bigger than you, and you’re representing a lot of people,” he says. “And they expect you to be your best.
“With that comes huge responsibility, and they want to see you compete. They want to see you having a go – good old fashioned having a go.”
NRL is Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now
