AAA<\/p>\n
This is Laurie Daley\u2019s Tony Popovic moment. The crossroad between masterstroke and misstep.<\/p>\n
Daley approaches the juncture at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday night, a happy hunting ground for his team, armed with a 1-0 series advantage. A raft of selection gambles will determine whether his second stint as NSW coach is more successful than the first.<\/p>\n
The mail is, regardless of the result of this match or the series, that this will be Daley\u2019s last year in charge. It is a chance to go out on his own terms and improve a record that stands at one series win from six.<\/p>\n
During his first stint with the clipboard, Daley went up against perhaps the best Maroons teams assembled. Would those results have been different if the coaches had swapped sides? If Mal Meninga coached the Blues, and Daley the Maroons?<\/p>\n
Probably not. Queensland had the better team, and the better team won.<\/p>\n
The same can\u2019t be said as definitively this time. There is no discernible difference in the talent on either side of the Tweed. It will come down to which players are picked and how they perform. And the buck, ultimately, will stop with the coach.<\/p>\n
![\"NSW](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/233fd4e49a87999f039dae030bf34a10f76bdabf.jpeg\")
NSW coach Laurie Daley.Getty Images<\/p>\n
Just ask Socceroos mentor Popovic. Daley\u2019s decision to drop the NRL\u2019s form back-rower, Haumole Olakau\u2019atu, to back Mitchell Moses\u2019 gammy hammys when Ethan Strange was one of his best players in Origin I, and then hand a debut to enigmatic Rooster Mark Nawaqanitawase, is akin to Popovic overlooking captain Mathew Ryan for unheralded goalkeeper Patrick Beach, benching vice-captain Jackson Irvine and backing Connor Metcalfe despite his lack of minutes at club level.<\/p>\n
If the Socceroos had lost 0-2 instead of winning 2-0, you can only imagine the outcry about the coach. It would have been much the same for Daley if James Tedesco – a controversial selection ahead of Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards in game I – had lost control of the ball instead of planting it down for the match-winner in Sydney. Thin is the line between genius and madness.<\/p>\n
All this is transpiring while Ivan Cleary waits in the wings. The four-time premiership-winning mentor is poised to finish as head coach of the Panthers at the end of 2027. Cleary has expressed an interest in becoming involved at representative level and should walk into any job of his choosing.<\/p>\n
When Brad Fittler was facing the prospect of a series whitewash in the final interstate game of 2023, he turned to Cleary on game night. The Blues won. Hand Cleary the reins of the Blues and, with son Nathan, \u201cThe Premier State\u201d has at its disposal the best player and coach in the business.<\/p>\n
![\"NSW](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4a506cb2ea0d8fbfab730b98ca6c481c25749a03.jpeg\")
NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley speaks ahead of Wednesday\u2019s Origin in Melbourne. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he\u2019s got the foundations there to coach at any level, really,\u201d Nathan Cleary said of the prospect of the old man one day taking the Blues job.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as he wants to probably get away from the day-to-day grind of it, I don\u2019t think he wants to completely cut ties with rugby league. And he still has so much to offer. So I\u2019m not sure where he\u2019ll land yet or what\u2019s even on the table for him. But that will become more apparent in future years.\u201d<\/p>\n
If, as expected, Daley steps down after this series, the NSWRL shouldn\u2019t wait until 2028 to appoint Cleary. If the latter reckons he can juggle club and state, he should be appointed straight away.<\/p>\n
![\"Natural](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1a2aafc220e8be8b3d21277e5c0193d6f72e1f45.jpeg\")
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