Laurie Daley can’t save the Blues. But I know just the man who can

June 20, 2026 — 5:00am

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Let me cut to the chase: Andrew Johns should be appointed NSW Origin coach for 2027 on a one-year contract. No ifs, no buts, no prevarications.

This is what we know so far:

Laurie Daley is a lovely bloke, but also the exemplar of a supreme player who has proven not to be of equal calibre as a coach. When the NSW Origin team lose the so-called “decider” in Brissie on July 8, it will mean Daley will have won just one of the seven Origin series he has coached. We all know it – he can’t hold on to the gig with those numbers.

The most accomplished coach in the NSW ranks right now is Ivan Cleary, but he will not be available until 2028 after he finishes up with the Panthers.

If Johns is not the most astute analyst in the game, there is only Greg Alexander and Cooper Cronk who could argue the toss with him. Johns bleeds blue like no other, and you can see his clear frustration after every debilitating loss. He wants to burst out “WTAF???” and only just manages to hold it in, at least on camera.

And yes, I know, in previous years Johns has said he’s not available to coach NSW as he doesn’t want the pressure. I don’t care. That’s just too bad, Andrew. Stop being so selfish. This is not about you, it’s about the Blues, remember? Is there any part of “They bloody well NEED the smarts and passion you have in such abundance!” that is not clear? You’ve been boiling over with what needs to be done, so let’s bloody well see it. Just for one season. We’ll all lean in. You are the Peter Sterling of your day. You can see stuff that the rest of us are blind to, and as coach will be able to make your players see it, too. You are often described as the footballer of your generation. We don’t need you to be the coach of your generation. We need you to coach the Blues for a couple of stinking months in 2027. Is that really such a big ask?

And listen, Andrew, when I ran this by one of your old teammates to see what he thought, he said: “Brilliant idea. He’d never make it as a club coach, but for this, he’d be perfect. But don’t wait until next year, throw him in right now. This series is already over bar the shouting, so what have they got to lose?”

Israel Folau still doesn’t get it. This week it has emerged that while he was indeed close to getting a contract with the likes of Wests Tigers, in the end the game decided that taking on board someone with his amount of baggage was more trouble than it’s worth.

In response, a hurt Folau posted: “The double standard from the @nrl is crazy. The game talks about inclusion, yet my Christian beliefs were said to be a problem and didn’t align with their values. At the same time, players who’ve committed actual offences have been welcomed back. Make it make sense.”

Israel, you’ve come to the right place. No one at the NRL or Rugby Australia gives a flying ruck that you are a Christian, and that was not the reason doors closed on you. The issue was you were spouting homophobic gibberish, and it was no less homophobic gibberish because you claim it fits under your religious umbrella.

You put your name and weight to that gibberish, which is about as........

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