Former Tigers coach Michael Maguire has revealed he knocked back the chance to become Wallabies assistant under Eddie Jones.
Instead, the 49-year-old decided to stay in rugby league, joining Ricky Stuart’s Raiders in a bid to return to a head coaching role in the future.
According to the SMH, Maguire was headhunted by Jones to join his coaching staff after signing on for a second stint with the Wallabies in January.
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Jones was reportedly desperate for Maguire to take over as defensive coach for Australia’s rugby union team, but he couldn’t turn his back on Ricky Stuart after committing to the team from the nation’s capital.
“I’d love to work with Eddie,” Maguire told the Herald.
“I’ve known Eddie for a long time; he’s a fanatical Souths fan.
“We spent quite a bit of time catching up during my time at Souths. He does love rugby league, but his passion is obviously on the union side at the moment.
“I’ve stayed in touch with him. He’s a high achiever in everything he’s done in the coaching space over a long period of time.
“I love Eddie’s mentality; he trains his players at a high level, and we probably have the same mentality in many of the things we do.”
Maguire expressed his desire to win a competition in the NRL and spoke about the “hunger” in Canberra’s camp and how he was “honest” with Stuart after Jones’ approach.
The former Rabbitohs head coach came through the coaching ranks at the Raiders in the early 2000s, before departing for the Storm in 2004.
“At this present moment, I’m really enjoying my time at Canberra. The thought of winning another competition, whether it be here or wherever it may be, I’m very hungry for that once again,” Maguire said.
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“He was well and truly aware (of the Wallabies offer).
“That’s part of being a strong team, you need to be open and honest with the people around you. I’m very appreciative of what ‘Stick’ has done in giving me an opportunity here.
“With Stick, I’m really enjoying working with him. Being away for 15 years, the whole place has transformed.
“It’s a different feel down here in the community, you can feel the hunger for the Raiders. It feels a bit like the early ’90s. Getting back to that success would be very nice.”
Stuart also backed his assistant to return to a head coaching role after a nightmare stint with the Tigers which saw him sacked mid-season.
“I’ve got not doubt that Madge will be a head coach in the NRL again; I believe it won’t be too far away. I’ve known Madge for a long time, he’s a good person and we have very similar thoughts in regards to coaching,” Stuart said.
“He will coach NRL again, which is why it was a very smart decision not to jump across to rugby union. He’s just having a break from the head coaching role and freshening up to go again.”
