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New NSW coach Michael Maguire plans to sound out Jack Wighton about coming out of representative retirement for next year’s State of Origin series.
Maguire unveiled his support staff after officially being confirmed as Brad Fittler’s successor at Blues headquarters on Thursday. The biggest coup is Frank Ponissi, Storm football manager and Craig Bellamy’s right-hand man, as team performance manager.
Other new staffers are former NSW players John Cartwright, Matt King and Brett White, all premiership-winning players who are assistant coaches at their respective NRL clubs. Andrew Gray is the physical performance manager and Sean Edwards will oversee strength and conditioning.
Maguire made it clear that performance will trump incumbency when he names his first side, putting some of his biggest stars on notice. Most debate will surround the fullback spot, with James Tedesco no guarantee of retaining it, despite being captain, after an underwhelming season for his club and state.
However, the most intriguing selection could be that of Wighton. The South Sydney recruit made himself unavailable for representative selection for last season’s interstate matches, but Maguire revealed he would investigate the prospect of a return.
“When you’ve got a clean sheet you’re definitely going to chat to everyone that might be available to you,” Maguire told this masthead.
New NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire.Credit: Wolter Peeters
“I’m very fond of Jack. I had some quality time there with him at Canberra. He’s a big game player, everyone knows that.
“I’ll let him find his feet there at Souths and when the time’s right, we’ll have that conversation. I fully respect where he’s at and what he wants to do.”
Maguire has a strong relationship with Wighton from his time as an assistant at the Raiders. Wighton played at five-eighth during a long stint in the capital, but is expected to slot into the Souths back line as a left centre.
“The big one for [Wighton] is finding where he fits into Souths so he can play his best footy,” Maguire said. “Off the back of that, when he’s playing his best footy, he’ll understand what he wants to achieve at a higher level. I’ll let that evolve as it goes.”
Michael Maguire is ready for a new challenge.Credit: SMH
Maguire’s stocks have risen after he led New Zealand to a 30-0 win over Australia in the Pacific Championships final last month. Despite the record result, the NZRL asked the premiership-winning coach to stand down in the belief he couldn’t juggle that and the Blues job.
That unexpected victory may have unlocked the key to beating Queensland given that there were 11 Maroons players in the Kangaroos team. Asked if it was an advantage knowing he can successfully coach against many of the stars who will form next year’s Origin opposition, “Madge” replied”: “I’d like to think so.
“You get a feel for how teams play and how individuals move. I’ll be able to share that with the team that we’ll put together.
“Also it’s about understanding my own players, how we play and their qualities. I’ll spend a lot of time watching our players over the next period and especially obviously when the season starts.
“It’s then about how you complement our style of how we want to play. I’m really looking forward to that part of being able to talk to these great players about their game.”
Maguire said all 17 spots for his first team remain open and that form would trump reputation at the selection table.
“Off the experience I’ve had, I like to walk in with a blank canvas,” he said. “We know there is history there, but ultimately at the end of the day, I just want the players to feel that if they go and play their best footy, then it allows that to do its talking. I’m very open to how that team may look moving forward. It’s a blank piece of paper at the moment.”
Tedesco has indicated he wants to continue to play representative football, despite criticism of his performances in the opening matches of the last series.
“He’s a world-class player, we all know that,” Maguire said. “I’ll have a chat with Teddy first. I’ve got no thoughts about him until I actually chat to players and find out where their head space is at.
“The one thing for him at the moment is just really letting him be and getting his body right. When the time comes, it’s the performances that I continue to look at.”
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