Michael Maguire speaks on prospect of working three coaching jobs….
“I’m still plugged into what’s happening in football at other times of the year.”
Michael Maguire has broken his silence regarding the prospect of coaching New Zealand, being an assistant under Ricky Stuart at the Raiders and becoming the NSW Blues head coach.
This comes after the current Canberra Raiders assistant coach emerged as the number one contender for the head coaching role and has reportedly verbally agreed to take the NSW Blues head coaching job on Thursday, replacing Brad Fittler.
Speaking for the first time since entering official negotiations with the NSWRL, Maguire believes coaching both the NSW Blues and New Zealand Kiwis will be mutually beneficial to one another, in which will see him enter a surprising position.
“Because it’s a campaign and not a full-time position, I actually think it’s an advantage to be across what’s happening at club and international level,” Maguire told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“That will help me at state level if that comes to pass. I’m still plugged into what’s happening in football at other times of the year.”
Reports emerged from several news outlets that Magurie has “verbally agreed” to become the next NSW State of Origin coach after accepting an offer from New South Wales Rugby League for the job.
This was later confirmed by NSWRL Chairman Paul Conlon, who admitted that the former Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers head coach is the preferred candidate. But, he revealed that further discussions would be put on hold until after the Pacific Championships have ended so he can focus on coaching New Zealand against Australia and Samoa.
“His sole focus is on preparing [New Zealand] for the upcoming three Test matches. In fact, that is exactly the quality that attracted us to him for the coaching role,” Conlon said.
“He has made a long-term commitment to New Zealand Rugby League and we wish him all the best for the upcoming Test matches.”
Although New Zealand had given him permission to negotiate with NSWRL and give him their blessing to coach the state team, he has yet to put pen to paper for the New South Wales coaching job. This is due to the former premiership coach not wanting it to cause a distraction ahead of the Pacific Championships.
“I am so focused on the Kiwis at the moment,” Maguire said.
“I put so much time into making sure that we have the best team we can put on the field and that is my full focus at the moment.
“I’ve got a steely focus on international footy, this is where we are going and this is what I’m doing.”
However, unlike Maguire, former Kiwis representative Tony Kemp has blasted the move that would see the premiership coach both the Blues and New Zealand.
“It did get my blood boiling this morning and don’t get me wrong this is nothing to do with ‘Madge’ Maguire,” Kemp told SEN 1170 The Run Home.
“For years of being an advocate, I’ve seen this brewing, this type of battle brewing, this losing battle, in and around the Pacific players that predominantly come out of New Zealand and filter through to Australian player pathways, now it’s happened to our coaching ranks.
“If we don’t arrest this with our next appointment, which should be Stacey Jones, then I think if we go for another Australian coach we might as well just become another part of the Australian Rugby League.
“You’ve got Queensland, New South and the Australian New Zealand Rugby League.”
Despite this, Maguire has received a ton of support recently from two former legendary State of Origin greats who believe he is the right fit for the top coaching NSW Blues job.
“I think Michael Maguire would be a great pick,” four-time NSW Blues five-eighth Matthew Johns said on SEN 1170’s The Round Up.
“Some would say Michael Maguire isn’t currently a head coach, he’s an assistant to Ricky Stuart but he’s looking after New Zealand. The difference with ‘Madge’ is even when he’s not coaching, he’s coaching.
“He’s always working on his principles and how he wants to go about work. As soon as this NSW job came about, I’d have no doubt that Madge would be starting to scribble notes down just in case he got it.
“He’s doing a great job at New Zealand, I don’t think they would necessarily be happy about this with Madge being constantly spoken about but it’s important to say that Madge actually hasn’t put his hand up, his focus is on New Zealand, but I really think he’d do a good job.”
Johns’ words on Magurie were followed by that of Lote Tuqiri. Not only has Tuqiri played six games for Queensland in the Origin arena from 2001-02, but he is also a former player under Maguire.
“I reckon Madge would be the leading candidate because he’s really passionate about what he does,” Tuqiri told SEN 1170 Sportsday.
“Some of the players that played under him (would know) to sustain that level of passion for 26 to 28 rounds is very tough.
“He’s learnt a fair bit, but I think a six-week block with cream-of-the-crop players, Madge could do a really good job with Nathan Cleary and the players he has at his disposal.”
The current New Zealand Kiwis Test coach previously applied for the NSW Blues coaching role in 2018, prior to Brad Fittler’s appointment.
He will also bring a winning record of 55 per cent in his club coaching career with the Wigan Warriors, South Sydney Rabbitohs and Wests Tigers, as well as a 67 per cent winning record when in charge of New Zealand – a role he has held since 2018.
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