Former New South Wales coach Phil Gould has launched a scathing attack on the Blues following their heavy 44-24 defeat to Queensland at the MCG on Wednesday night, questioning the team's selection process and the decisions made by the current coaching staff. Gould, a legendary figure in the NRL who made headlines for refusing to answer a question after the series opener last month, did not hold back in his criticism of the Blues' hierarchy after they were comprehensively beaten by the Maroons in Game II.
Gould's Frustration Boils Over
Speaking on Nine's post-match coverage, Gould expressed his frustration with the way the Blues have been managed, particularly in terms of player selections. He pointed to the decisions to start South Sydney forward Cameron Murray on the bench and to rush Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses back into the side after a hamstring injury that kept him out of the series opener. Moses, who had not played for six weeks, was targeted by Queensland and missed eight tackles before being taken off as a precaution late in the game.
However, Gould offered some paradoxical advice for Blues coach Laurie Daley and his staff, insisting that the focus should not be on individual selections immediately after the loss. "Tonight's not the night to be looking at selections, alright?" Gould said. "We've got another two club rounds to get through before they can pick a team. And I've got some advice for them: stop listening to advice, stop listening to people in the media, stop listening to experts on panels, stop reading papers, and sit down, analyse the game, get a gameplan together and pick a team that can execute the gameplan. Very frustrating, our selection process, I'm afraid."
Gould's comments came after former Blues coach Brad Fittler, who coached the team between 2018 and 2023, tried to lighten the mood by laughing, "It's the same as everyone else's process!" But Gould was not finished. "Stop taking advice. And the more changes we make, the better it is for Queensland. Queensland now sit there and laugh because they don't have to change a thing, they've just got to get their players through the next (few weeks), and we'll panic, we'll make changes, we'll bring back blokes that are half fit, we'll bring blokes that haven't played football. We brought back a bloke (Moses) tonight who hadn't played for six weeks. Stop listening to experts."
Pressure Mounts on Daley
With the series now level at 1-1, the pressure on Daley has intensified significantly. For the second consecutive year in his second stint as Blues coach, NSW has squandered a 1-0 series lead and will now face a winner-takes-all decider in Brisbane. The Maroons will have home-ground advantage at Suncorp Stadium on July 8, a venue where the Blues have won only one decider in the last 20 years. Daley has never won a decider as a coach.
The Blues coach knew his side had escaped in the series opener in Sydney, where NSW conceded 20 first-half points but managed a 22-20 win after Kalyn Ponga's controversial send-off. That game continued a worrying trend of slow starts under Daley, bringing his motivational abilities and overall record into question. Daley has won just one of the six full series across his two stints in charge of the Blues.
In the lead-up to Game II, Fittler called on the players to silence the criticism of one of the state's legends. "The coach was our best player ever and they can't walk away from that," Fittler said. "The players need to stand up for 80 minutes tonight. They need to be all heart — just like their coach."
The Blues showed heart in the first half, with rugby union convert Mark Nawaqanitawase setting up the opening try and then scoring one himself to give NSW a 12-8 halftime lead. But the second half was a different story, as Queensland dominated and ran away with the game. Nawaqanitawase added a second try in the 60th minute but looked increasingly lost as the match progressed. Dylan Lucas, who edged out Manly's Haumole Olakau'atu for a spot in the side, missed a crucial tackle in the build-up to Queensland's first try and was largely anonymous. Meanwhile, hooker Api Koroisau was left on the bench as Daley hesitated to use his final interchange, only sending on Ethan Strange when Kotoni Staggs was sinbinned, by which time it was too late.
With the series decider looming, Daley's coaching will come under even more scrutiny as he looks to turn the tide against a confident Queensland side.
