KIERSTEN DUKE: Laurie Daley deserves to pull off remarkable win for everything he has done for NSW Origin side
The armchair critics have had a field day, but few of them probably realise there have been few men who have done more for the Blues than the under-fire coach.
There are some players who become synonymous with State of Origin. Some are remembered for spectacular tries, some for brutal tackles and others for defining moments that live forever in rugby league folklore.
Then there is Laurie Daley.
For NSW supporters, Daley wasn’t just a champion player, he was the heartbeat of the Blues.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.He represented everything Origin is supposed to be. Toughness, resilience, leadership and an unwavering pride in the sky-blue jersey. When the game was at its fiercest, Daley never took a backward step and dragged teammates with him through sheer determination and refusing to let Queensland dictate the contest.
He is the state’s most successful skipper, having won three series, including a three-peat from 1992-94.
That is why next week’s decider at Suncorp Stadium feels bigger than just another Origin game.
Daley has been carrying the weight of coaching NSW and now finds himself under further enormous pressure after Queensland levelled the series in Game II. The criticism has been relentless and the scrutiny unavoidable. Yet anyone who watched Daley play knows pressure has never frightened him.
If NSW can walk into Suncorp and reclaim the shield, it will be another chapter worthy of the man who spent so many years defining what it meant to wear sky blue.
As a player, you could make a compelling argument that no one has represented NSW with greater distinction. He became the standard every Blues leader has been measured against since. His legacy wasn’t built purely on talent. It was built on courage and an uncompromising desire to win.
That’s why it would be incredibly sad if this chapter ended with another heartbreaking loss at Suncorp.
Nobody’s legacy as a player can ever be erased but Origin has a cruel habit of judging coaches by a single night. It’s as if fans just see the single moment in front of them and have short term memory loss when it comes to the bigger picture.
Daley deserves better than for one defeat to overshadow everything he has given NSW for decades, even his Origin coaching record in poor with only one series win from six. He has bled for this state as a player, captain and coach. Few people have invested more emotionally in the Blues jersey than he has.
Winning a decider at Suncorp is among the toughest assignments in Australian sport. Queensland crowds create an atmosphere unlike anywhere else, and history shows just how difficult it is for visiting teams to leave Brisbane victorious. Yet those are exactly the moments Daley built his reputation on during his playing career; he has an incredible ability to embrace the impossible rather than fear it.
One of the most encouraging stories leading into the decider surprisingly has nothing to do with the 17 players who will run onto the field.
Young Canterbury star Lachlan Galvin has been invited into the NSW camp this week, giving one of the game’s brightest prospects a priceless education before he has even played an Origin match.
Try and find a better classroom than an Origin camp preparing for a decider at Suncorp. I’ll wait.
Galvin will witness what preparation looks like when the stakes couldn’t be higher. He will see the standards expected from elite players outside of his own team, how experienced leaders handle pressure and how every conversation revolves around representing NSW.
Those lessons cannot be taught in an under-20s camp or an NRL pre-season.
Whether Galvin becomes an Origin great remains to be seen, but this experience could accelerate his development enormously. He’s already a wise head on young shoulders. At the age of just 20 years old he has already experienced more commentary and criticism than most people would experience in a lifetime.
This has forced him to find ways to cope and thrive around it. Whether its playing golf or being with his racehorses at Warwick Farm, Galvin already has mechanisms in place to deal with the pressures of representing his state should the time come.
Watching Daley manage expectation and the pure emotion surrounding the biggest game of the year may prove just as valuable as anything Galvin learns on the football field.
That’s another part of Daley’s legacy that often goes unnoticed. He isn’t simply trying to win one game. He’s helping shape the next generation of Blues footballers.
If NSW can walk into Suncorp and reclaim the shield, it will be another chapter worthy of the man who spent so many years defining what it meant to wear sky blue.
And if anyone deserves to finish an Origin campaign celebrating in enemy territory, it’s arguably the greatest player and leader NSW has ever produced.
