Blues also in for Madge

Dumped Rabbitohs coach considered for NSW

MICHAEL Maguire has emerged as Brad Fittler’s biggest threat in the race to replace Laurie Daley as NSW coach.

The NSW Rugby League board is set to meet tomorrow where the sacked South Sydney coach will be brought up as one of four contenders still in the fight for the job.

Fittler is still the clear favourite with former Titans mentor John Cartwright and David Furner the other options. While tomorrow’s meeting will determine who sits on the interviewing panel, an announcement is not expected until after the next board meeting in late November.

Maguire has stated publicly his interest in taking over as Gold Coast coach but expressed a reluctance to take on the position until the club’s new ownership is finalised.

Plenty of other candidates have put their hand up for the job but it is understood these four are the only ones left with any chance of taking over the Blues from Daley.

Dean Pay was also in the running before he took over the top job at Canterbury.

Fittler is considered the front-runner at this point while Cartwright and Furner are also former NSW players with experience as NRL head coaches that could step up to handle the position.

While Maguire never played for NSW, he has won a premiership with the Rabbitohs and his no-nonsense attitude would also count in his favour given some of the events that emerged during this year’s series.

One of the main issues that the board want the new coach to detail is how they plan to change a culture that has been widely criticised for having a “selfish” mentality in recent years.

There is no doubt the controversy that surrounded Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson going out drinking in the build up to the series decider was just one of a number of incidents that proved significant in Daley’s demise.

The NSWRL made the decision not to consider current NRL head coaches for the position, mainly to eliminate any possible conflict of interests relating to team selections.

That straight away ruled out the likes of Ricky Stuart, Trent Robinson, Craig Bellamy and Shane Flanagan from applying or being approached.

Fittler has received widespread support for the position because of his Origin legacy as one of NSW’s greatest ever players.