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New NSW coach Michael Maguire plans to sound out Jack Wighton about coming out of representative retirement for next year\u2019s State of Origin series.<\/p>\n
Maguire unveiled his support staff after officially being confirmed as Brad Fittler\u2019s successor at Blues headquarters on Thursday. The biggest coup is Frank Ponissi, Storm football manager and Craig Bellamy\u2019s right-hand man, as team performance manager.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
However, the most intriguing selection could be that of Wighton. The South Sydney recruit made himself unavailable for representative selection for last season\u2019s interstate matches, but Maguire revealed he would investigate the prospect of a return.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019ve got a clean sheet you\u2019re definitely going to chat to everyone that might be available to you,\u201d Maguire told this masthead.<\/p>\n
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New NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Wolter Peeters<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very fond of Jack. I had some quality time there with him at Canberra. He\u2019s a big game player, everyone knows that.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll let him find his feet there at Souths and when the time\u2019s right, we\u2019ll have that conversation. I fully respect where he\u2019s at and what he wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe big one for [Wighton] is finding where he fits into Souths so he can play his best footy,\u201d Maguire said. \u201cOff the back of that, when he\u2019s playing his best footy, he\u2019ll understand what he wants to achieve at a higher level. I\u2019ll let that evolve as it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Maguire is ready for a new challenge.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>SMH<\/cite><\/p>\n Maguire\u2019s 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\u2019t juggle that and the Blues job.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Origin opposition, \u201cMadge\u201d replied\u201d: \u201cI\u2019d like to think so.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get a feel for how teams play and how individuals move. I\u2019ll be able to share that with the team that we\u2019ll put together.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso it\u2019s about understanding my own players, how we play and their qualities. I\u2019ll spend a lot of time watching our players over the next period and especially obviously when the season starts.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s then about how you complement our style of how we want to play. I\u2019m really looking forward to that part of being able to talk to these great players about their game.\u201d<\/p>\n Maguire said all 17 spots for his first team remain open and that form would trump reputation at the selection table.<\/p>\n \u201cOff the experience I\u2019ve had, I like to walk in with a blank canvas,\u201d he said. \u201cWe 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\u2019m very open to how that team may look moving forward. It\u2019s a blank piece of paper at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Tedesco has indicated he wants to continue to play representative football, despite criticism of his performances in the opening matches of the last series.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a world-class player, we all know that,\u201d Maguire said. \u201cI\u2019ll have a chat with Teddy first. I\u2019ve got no thoughts about him until I actually chat to players and find out where their head space is at.<\/p>\n \u201cThe one thing for him at the moment is just really letting him be and getting his body right. When the time comes, it\u2019s the performances that I continue to look at.\u201d<\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary.<\/i><\/b> Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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