As he stood near the spot Greg Inglis had scored his famous Goanna try for South Sydney in the 2014 grand final, new Blues coach Michael Maguire was asked whether he had achieved all he wanted in the game.
“I want to win Origin. That’s why I’m here and that’s what I’m working towards,” said Maguire, who was joined by Inglis for the launch of the 2024 Origin series at Accor Stadium.
"This is a special place and it holds a lot of good memories for me, along with a lot of great players I have been able to coach," he said.
Inglis brings out the Goanna to finish it
Maguire earned a place in the history books after overseeing the end of Souths 43-year premiership drought and he is a record holder after masterminding the biggest win by any nation against the Kangaroos when the Kiwis triumphed 30-0 in November’s Pacific Championships final.
He is also one of just three coaches to have steered clubs to premiership glory in England (Wigan 2010) and the NRL (Rabbitohs 2014), along with John Monie (Eels 1986 and Wigan 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993) and Chris Anderson (Halifax 1986, Bulldogs 1995 and Storm 1999).
“It’s always been a dream of mine to have a crack at being the NSW coach,” Maguire said.
“That’s why I want to do it. To be able to be the coach and get NSW behind us. It’s a different feel from just working in a club – everybody is now behind you.
“I’m galvanising that with the players. They are very passionate about the people who support us. We’re all about making the state proud. We’ll do everything possible to get success – that’s what it’s about.”
The Origin series opener at Accor Stadium may not be until June 5 but Maguire has already begun preparing for how NSW will regain the Shield from Queensland after holding a camp last weekend with 33 players and his coaching staff.
“I really enjoyed spending time with the players, especially at this level,” he said. “The conversations you have are high end because you are talking to the best players across the competition.
“We spoke about experiences and where they want to take the jersey and they are very dedicated about ensuring that Blues jersey is in a really good place on and off the field.
“The belief within in the group is strong and as we know is Origin is always so close, so we chatted about various areas we want to improve and what we want to move towards.
“We have got to make sure we come together and connect the way that we want to, play the style that we want to and build the belief around the way we want to do things.”
Blues v Maroons – Game 3, 2023
Rabbitohs superstar Latrell Mitchell was among the players unable to attend the camp, but Maguire said he was looking forward to working with him again after he missed last year’s Origin series due to injury.
Jack Wighton is another player he has previously worked with after being on the coaching staff at Canberra last season, but Maguire said he wanted to let the Rabbitohs recruit focus on performing for his new club without pressure to end his representative retirement.
“As we move closer to Game I we will need to start looking to hone in on what sort of players and what positions we need in the team, so that is something that will be good fun,” Maguire said.
“I’m talking to Trell quite often and he is another one who has had a good pre-season from what I have been told.
Mitchell intercepts a pass and goes 85m to score
“I was lucky enough to experience some of the Panthers boys in the last international campaign and you can see why they have had success.
"There are reasons why players get to where they get to and it is the work they put in the background.
“A lot of the players I had here are in that bracket so it is just about getting more and more people in your team to be thinking in a like way that creates success.”
Men's State of Origin series
Game One, Accor Stadium, Wednesday, June 5
Game Two, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Wednesday, June 26
Game Three, Suncorp Stadium, Wednesday, July 17
Women's State of Origin series
Game One, Suncorp Stadium, Thursday, May 16
Game Two, McDonald Jones Stadium, Thursday, June 6
Game Three, Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Thursday, June 27
Tickets for Ampol State of Origin 2024 start at $49 for adults and $137 for families.
All tickets are available from jetwinvip.com/tickets.