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.
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 adv
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