NSW Blues coach Laurie Daley has avoided questions about his future as he focuses on a series-clinching victory in State of Origin II. Fresh from the Blues' remarkable comeback in the series opener last Wednesday, Daley appeared on The Agenda Setters: Rugby League on Monday night.
Daley's Contract Situation
The 56-year-old's contract is set to expire at the end of this series, and reports have emerged suggesting he will step down regardless of the outcome. When asked directly if he could confirm or deny those reports, Daley refused to elaborate.
"Corey, my focus is on Game 2," he said with a wry smile. "That's all I'm worried about at the moment, making sure that I do the right thing by New South Wales and have this team prepared. We've got a big opportunity to wrap up the series, and we know that it's going to be one hell of a game. And we will need to be better than what we were in Game 1. We know Queensland will be better. And people that watch, will see a terrific game of footy."
Tribute to Ethan Strange
Daley also praised Ethan Strange for his outstanding debut in the series opener. Strange was called into the starting lineup after Mitchell Moses was ruled out 48 hours before the match.
"He's just a kid that just takes it all, whatever comes his way," Daley said of Strange. "And we sort of said to him, 'don't overthink it, don't overplay it, just play to your strengths, which is your running game.' And I think he did that extremely well. He certainly wasn't overawed, and he's got great self-belief."
"But he's a kid that, if he was ever going to handle it, it was him to come in in that situation, because it's a bit like Casey McLean. They don't show too much emotion. They just get on with it. They were happy to be there."
"When you think about it, both he and Casey played important roles in the outcome of that contest. And I suppose both weren't assured of game time leading in, because with a six-man bench, you're just unsure of how it's going to operate on the night. And things change, as it did in Origin I. So you've just got to be ready. They were both ready to go. And it was a hell of a performance from Ethan, though."
