If first impressions count, they’ve got the right man

Day one into his tenure as Kiwis coach and already Michael Maguire is impressing. The 44-yearold, with an outstanding coaching record, having won league’s biggest prizes in both hemispheres, made all the right noises when he met the media yesterday.

It’s clear Maguire knows his stuff and he won’t stand for any of the shoddiness or poor preparation the NZRL displayed to his predecessor, David Kidwell.

During Kidwell’s time in the job, the NZRL couldn’t even get the right size training jerseys for the players on one occasion, all part of the amateur way in which the organisation ran things.

Not meaning to slight Kidwell but Maguire won’t stand for such nonsense. He may have been hired by the NZRL but he should be the one now calling the shots.

He has to be given a free reign with everything. To get a coach of Maguire’s quality is a blessing for the game in this country and there must be a feeling that if he can’t get this team sorted out then no one can.

He admitted yesterday he can come across as a tough coach but that’s because he knows success comes only through hard work.

As he answered questions, he was honest and open, which goes along with the NZRL’s new approach to be more inclusive of the media and the public.

A new coach means a clean slate and Maguire appears to be coming into this role without any preconceptions.

Benji Marshall is back in consideration for the Kiwis after spending the last six years in exile and Maguire is not set on who the captain will be.

He acknowledged that he has a number of options and names such as Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Issac Luke and Shaun Johnson all spring to mind.

The slate might be clean but it’s probably not that decontaminated for Jesse Bromwich to return as captain, while if you’re building for the 2021 World Cup, Marshall, Adam Blair and Simon Mannering might be too long in the tooth.

That decision will be announced over the next few weeks, as the Kiwis take on England in Denver in six weeks.

Maguire didn’t feel things will have to be rushed going into that test and there is an air of calmness about him . . . no stupid phrases, no outlandish statements, no baggage and no hidden agendas.

It’s clearly too early to say good times are just around the corner.

But after such a pathetic World Cup campaign on so many levels, where so much damage to the Kiwis brand was done, at least in Maguire there’s someone now steering the ship in the right direction.

All aboard.