A decision on whether NSW coach Brad Fittler keeps his job won’t be made until October, but the early indications are his contract will be extended — because there are no discernible alternatives.
That’s the sobering reality for Blues fans: the coach keeps his job after losing back-to-back series because nobody wants to take it on.
Some of the potential candidates tell me they don’t have time to take on the old firm of Billy Slater and Cameron Smith, who have adopted the same cut-throat approach they took as Melbourne Storm players and applied it to coaching Queensland.
Slater is so meticulous in his preparation he spends hours in his home theatre room, poring over video of players from every angle, including those provided by Spidercam, the aerial camera above the field. He did the same deep-dive analysis when he was playing fullback.
Taking on Slater and Smith’s obsessive approach is daunting for whoever coaches NSW next year and, while nothing has been confirmed, that’s likely to be Fittler. He has plenty of support at board level, especially from chairman Paul Conlon who earlier this week slammed the “media pile-on” of the coach.
You’d expect Conlon to say that with a match still to play at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night, but you’d hope someone at the NSWRL realises criticism of the Blues isn’t fabricated but warranted. NSW’s approach to Origin needs a reboot regardless of whether Fittler is still there.
There’s nothing more boring than a reporter defending the media, but Fittler’s hypersensitive reaction to any criticism about his selections and team’s performance requires unpacking.
Brad Fittler reckons he’s still the man for the top job.Credit: Getty
Shrewd coaches either ignore the noise or use it to their advantage. Fittler has indulged in it, slamming the media earlier this week for running an “agenda” against him while driving a wedge between him and Sharks half Nicho Hynes.
He vaguely referenced stories leading into last year’s World Cup that pointed out that Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr and Parramatta prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard had been selected for Australia after being overlooked for NSW earlier in the season.
The underlying suggestion was Fittler was a bad judge of player and form.
“It was 25 times written that I actually looked at,” Freddy fumed on Tuesday. “I looked up their name, it was quoted next to being dropped by NSW. That’s an agenda. Twenty-five times … I feel something similar is happening now with Nicho. I just don’t think [that what is] best for the NSW team is necessarily the narrative that people are trying to drive.”
The stories Fittler is referring to from last year was mostly clickbait with loaded headlines and full of narky Twitter posts from members of the public.
Why would Fittler bury himself in the weeds of this kind of stuff? He tells players to stay away from social media if it’s affecting their mental health but then worries himself with a bogus “narrative” being set by others.
He preaches the benefits of breathing and meditation. When he’s driving his car, he often listens to podcasts featuring Eckhart Tolle, a German-born spiritual teacher and self-help author who advocates living in the present moment.
Instead of living in the now, Fittler is barking about irrelevant stories from last year. The likes of Wayne Bennett, Phil Gould and Mal Meninga wouldn’t flinch at this stuff or they would use it to their advantage.
Surely, Fittler has been around long enough as a player, coach and commentator to understand that making left-field selections then losing Origin matches and series will bring some sort of heat.
When Fittler or his coaching staff dismiss valid questions about these matters as an “agenda” or “rude” or “disrespectful”, do they consider they’re also dismissing the thousands of supporters who are asking similar things?
Perhaps he could look to 30-year-old Australian captain Pat Cummins for some advice about rolling with the punches.
For the past year, Cummins has been unfairly branded “Captain Woke” after getting caught up in the culture wars for having a view on climate change; accused of white-anting coach Justin Langer; told “don’t come back” after leaving the Indian tour to be at the bedside of his dying mother; and, just this week, flogged by the UK press because of the Jonny Bairstow dismissal, which was ridiculously compared to the Trevor Chappell underarm incident.
Cummins has endured more unwarranted criticism and bad press in the past 12 months than Fittler has copped in a lifetime, yet he constantly just laughs it off, comfortable about the man he is and the job he is doing.
Fittler could also cast his mind back to the 2017 series when Laurie Daley was in charge and the Blues lost game two at Accor Stadium.
“They’ve got to find something!” Fittler said on the Sunday Footy Show. “I think they lacked the killer, there was no killer. Leading into the game, we showed compassion towards Tim Glasby [the Maroons prop whose selection had been ridiculed by The Daily Telegraph]. I thought that showed no sign of killer. We just don’t have it. Even the look sometimes in the eyes of Queensland. Andrew Fifita comes off and says players were sledging him. So what? Leave it on the field. Save it for the next game, you don’t have to tell anyone.”
How did Daley respond?
“That’s Freddy’s opinion,” Daley smiled. “And he’s entitled to it.”
A BEEF WITH THE MCC
What’s the true “spirit of cricket”?
I’m tempted to say absinthe but just typing the word triggers hazy recollections of a boat party off the Brazilian south coast about 25 years ago. That’s another story, for another time.
No, the spirit of cricket is foremost about abiding by the umpire’s decision as laid out by the Marylebone Cricket Club in the preamble of the Laws of Cricket: “Respect is central to the Spirit of Cricket. Respect your captain, teammates, opponents and the authority of the umpires. Play hard and play fair. Accept the umpire’s decision.”
A few England players might want to consider that. So, too, members of the MCC, according to reader Mark Griffin, a cricket fan who lives in Dorset, England, who emailed me this week.
“I consider the behaviour of the MCC towards the Australian players on Sunday to be a disgrace,” Griffin said. “I was at Lord’s in 1981 when the so-called ‘sportsmen’ members of the MCC refused to clap Ian Botham when he was out for a duck. We all know the real reason for that and it was nothing to do with his performance as a player and captain. They didn’t like Botham due to snobbery, pure and simple, as he wasn’t part of the so-called establishment and that was exhibited by MCC members refusing to clap him. Forty years later, this lack of sportsmanship/snobbery still exists at the entitled MCC, shown on Sunday sadly towards your team.”
DIG DEEP FOR ANDO
The rugby league community will unite for former Warriors, Parramatta and St Helens coach Daniel Anderson at a special function at Royal Randwick on Friday.
Anderson suffered serious spinal injuries while bodysurfing on the Central Coast in December and was left quadriplegic.
More than 680 people will attend the function, which will be hosted by Fox Sports’ Yvonne Sampson and feature several special guests, none of whom I’m allowed to mention because it’s a closely guarded secret.
If you’ve got money burning a hole in your pocket, check out the incredible array of memorabilia and experiences on offer in the online auction.
Items include Queensland prop Lindsay Collins’ jumper from Origin II; the ultimate game-day experience with Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga that includes sitting in the coaches’ box; a signed jumper from Swans spearhead Buddy Franklin; and a round of golf and shandies with Braith Anasta.
Wanna bid? Go to galabid.com/unitefordaniel/items.
ROOKIE ERROR
The Sunday Telegraph did a good old-fashioned hatchet job last weekend on Channel Nine’s line-up of commentators and hosts ahead of next year’s Paris Olympics, the rights for which Nine has acquired.
Nine — publisher of this masthead — is big enough to fight its own battles, but I’ll come out swinging for my mate James Bracey, who was described as “chirpy” and “relatively wet behind the ears”.
Wet behind the ears?
Bracey has covered three Olympics, two Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cups. He’s been the face of Nine’s Australian Open coverage since 2019 and, next Wednesday, will host his 21st State of Origin broadcast.
THE QUOTE
“If you’re going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk, and this England cricket team isn’t walking the walk. They’re acting like they’re the greatest team around, but they’re currently on course to be the first England team to lose at home to Australia since 2001.” — The sharpest thing Kevin Pietersen has said all series, possibly ever.
THUMBS UP
Last time I counted, there were only two people who could rock a beige suit: Richie Benaud and James Bond. Add Roger Federer to the list after he made his first appearance at Wimbledon since retiring, standing between wife Mirka and the Princess of Wales in the Royal Box, as the crowd gave the eight-time winner a standing ovation.
THUMBS DOWN
“Sometimes, you’ve got to stand for something,” RLPA boss Clint Newton declared as players took the heroic decision to not talk to the media because of the collective bargaining agreement impasse with the NRL. Rugby league players truly are the Mandelas of our time … If you’re that serious, go on strike as you have threatened to do so many times.
It’s a big weekend for … the NSW Swifts, who will meet the Thunderbirds in the Super Netball grand final at John Cain Arena on Saturday night. The Thunderbirds beat the Swifts in the semi-final. Can they turn the tables? Only time can tell.
It’s an even bigger weekend for … Eddie Jones, who will coach the Wallabies for the first time since his stunning return earlier this year. Couldn’t be much tougher: the Springboks in Pretoria where Australia hasn’t in won in 60 years. Kick-off is 1am on Sunday AEST.
