Part of me would love to coach NSW. But it would be selfish and wrong

June 24, 2026 — 4:00pm

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There’s a small part of me that would absolutely love to coach NSW.

The suggestion has gathered momentum since my dear brother Matthew made mention of it, for reasons unknown.

Frankly though, it would be incredibly selfish for me to pursue, because it’s such an unknown.

And really, do NSW want to take a punt on someone with such limited experience, who has no experience at all of what it’s like to be a head coach?

The pressure I felt as a player, that’s easy in comparison to coaching. Under the extreme pressure and focus of coaching the state, would I be clear and calm enough to make the right calls?

I’ve never coached before. I’ve never had any ambition to coach. And I haven’t suddenly been struck by a burning desire to do it either, which I think you need.

The knock on Laurie Daley since he returned to coach the Blues has been around a lack of experience since set restarts came in and changed the game so much. NSW’s use of the six-man bench has also come under the microscope.

I have no idea how to manage an interchange bench. Critics say you can just put people from club land in around you to handle that. But Laurie’s had Matt King and Brett White, who are experienced NRL assistants, alongside him and, again, I wonder if even they have a true comprehension of the pressure on the head coach, because they’re yet to do it themselves.

Then there’s the Origin week and build-up to three of the biggest games in these players’ lives. It’s a beast.

And I don’t understand sports science – the training loads, how much running they can do, how you structure a 10-day camp with training sessions – and then there’s all the media commitments. I’d have no idea.

Now this will make people laugh, but the thought of managing 20 players and a dozen staff, that terrifies me. Sometimes I struggle to manage my own life, let alone 35 other people.

Another big consideration for me is my role with Channel Nine, and this column for the Sydney Morning Herald, where my job is to call it how I see it, without an........

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