Daley spills on fiery Origin presser in sit-down interview
Laurie Daley has opened up about his tense post-State of Origin III press conference, where he called on journalists with “hidden agendas” who had criticised his coaching to “show some balls” and come in to Blues camp.
The NSW coach had copped heavy criticism from media, particularly north of the border, of his coaching style and tactical prowess. There were also reports his pre-game speeches were “putting players to sleep”.
Blues coach Laurie Daley has opened up about his fiery post-match press conference following State of Origin III. Chiming In podcast
But his troops then arrived at Suncorp Stadium and delivered the Maroons a third-straight home loss to clinch a shock series victory.
“When people have a crack, and they won’t come to a training session or a press conference. Show some balls. Where are they now?” Daley fumed post-match.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview on the Chiming In podcast hosted by his manager Steve Gillis, Daley said he didn’t intend to fire up in the way he did.
“It just happened – I said to (Blues captain Isaah Yeo) on the way in: ‘Oh, I think I’ll leave it for another day’, but then the emotion and the adrenaline kicked in,” he said.
“People think I haven’t got a hard edge. People just think they can say what they want and I’ll accept it and away you go.
“That’s not a major spray from me in that press conference. You’ve got to be gracious when you win and gracious when you lose, but I wanted to get some things off my chest and make it clear I wasn’t happy.
“I don’t hold a grudge, but what you do is you’ll follow what these journalists will say. If they get it wrong, well, you might call it out.”
Commentary following the Blues second-half performance in Melbourne was particularly critical of Daley’s interchange decisions. He said he was “cool” with commentary surrounding tactical decisions, but suggested he fed off the “personal” attacks.
“That makes you want to prove to people you can overcome that,” he said.
Daley said he received over a thousand texts in the hours after the game, but said it was the support he had received from Blues legends including Paul Gallen, Andrew Johns, Brad Fittler, former skipper Paul Langmack and league legend Tim Sheens, among others, throughout the entire series that meant the most to him.
“Benny Elias text me and rang me every day. The whole campaign. Every day, just checking in: ‘Mate, you’re the right man. Don’t worry. You’ve got this’. Every day. Just a text, quick ring, see how I was going. That was great,” he said.
NSW coach Laurie Daley at full-time on after Origin III. NRL Imagery
“All those guys throwing their support behind me … captains, ex-players, it was quite humbling that, when people are coming for you, that people take the time out to support you.
“I love when people underestimate me. I not once (doubted myself). Tim Sheens messaged me, and he goes: ‘you’re at your best when you’re calm. Just keep it simple and trust yourself’.
“I didn’t want to tell people, but I was extremely confident we could win (game three). Even after Melbourne.”
Daley went on to laud the leadership of his skipper in galvanising the playing group immediately after the disappointment of Origin II.
“(Isaah Yeo) is the best leader I’ve come across,” he said.
“The way he galvanised the group after (game two), straight away he went from the disappointment of having a massive score line against you, and everyone feeling down, to talking about what a great opportunity we’ll confront in three weeks. The opportunity we have at Lang Park.
“He has a presence about him. He’s been in such a successful organisation and his leadership skills are through the roof. He’s just got the ability to cut through. He’s well-organised, well-planned, great with his messaging. He’s so supportive of me, the staff, coaches, takes it upon himself to organise things.
“He’s got a massive future whether it’s inside footy or outside in the corporate world – he could do whatever he wants to.
“He’s got the know-how and when he puts his mind to something, the calmness, the control, the inner strength, he’s just someone you want in the trenches with you.
“I’d ask him, ‘mate, do we need to do anything different?‘, and he’d say ‘nup, this is the way we’re going’, and that gave (me) great confidence.”
Daley’s future as Blues coach remains in doubt. He maintains he “knows what he’s doing” next year, but as he did last Thursday morning refused to go into further detail.
