Daley turns heat back on Fox Sports panellists who questioned his appointment

July 12, 2026 — 5:00am

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Laurie Daley has turned the heat back on Fox Sports and their hiring policy after they lampooned his appointment as Blues coach and attacked Nathan Cleary’s right to be a long-term player for NSW.

Through their magazine show NRL 360, Fox have targeted Cleary at times and attacked Daley regularly. The line that drove Daley over the edge was the one that said he only got the job because of his friendship with NSW Rugby League chief executive David Trodden.

After the Blues’ disappointing Origin II loss, NRL 360 host Braith Anasta said: “Eight years out of the game, a lot changes … it’s a totally different sport almost. He comes in to Dave Trodden and he’s won one from five series. He hasn’t coached for eight years and puts the application in and Trodden says, ‘You’re the coach’. I know it’s a bit harsh, but can you explain that for me?”

Anasta then asked the panel: “Dave Trodden and Loz are very good mates. Do you think if they are not mates, does Loz get the job? Is that a fair question or not?”

That was seen by the entire NSWRL as insulting to the man who, on Wednesday night, oversaw one of the most unlikely series wins since Paul Vautin inspired his team of Maroons “Nevilles” to victory in 1995.

On Origin eve, NRL 360 panellist Paul Crawley questioned Cleary’s position in the Blues team, saying that if the Panthers champion could not lead NSW to victory then he should make way for Dolphins half Isaiya Katoa next year.

“He’s had enough time now,” Crawley said. “He was brought through as a 20-year-old … the Blues put faith in him … they have given him ample time to get it right. Nathan has proven himself to be an absolute champion at club level, but hasn’t done it at Origin level.”

Daley took a stand on Wednesday night after Cleary scored two tries in a stirring 30-12 victory and was named man of the match, and series.

“I was the best person for the job,” said a defiant Daley.

“To say I got it any other way … through a friendship with Dave Trodden, is an insult to Dave, an insult to the state and an insult to the job. I have a relationship with him, for sure. But we don’t socialise ... we are not at dinner at each other’s homes. I’ve never been to his house.

“I mean, if you go down that path with me and Nathan, we could look more deeply at who the bosses are and who gets a job there and how they got that job.”

Daley didn’t name names........

© Brisbane Times