Daley won\u2019t chase the role and has already said he is not interested in the position, but some of his strongest allies are making moves behind the scenes to get him the job.<\/p>\n
They have been contacting influential figures to start privately and publicly supporting him to replace Brad Fittler<\/strong>, who walked away from the job on Thursday.<\/p>\n Daley coached the Blues from 2013-2017, winning only six of 15 games. He had the misfortune of running into a team stacked with stars and future Immortals during Queensland\u2019s incredible run of 11 series wins in 12 years. He did win one series, in 2014, while the Blues were unlucky in several others. He is driven by \u201cunfinished business\u201d.<\/p>\n There is a belief that against a slightly inferior Queensland side Daley would have achieved more. He was stressed by the end of his tenure, but has had plenty of time away from Origin. He was going to be part of Fittler\u2019s new NSW set-up before the coach stepped away.<\/p>\n Daley is close to NSW Rugby League chief executive Dave Trodden<\/strong> and has support at board level. Chairman Paul Conlon<\/strong> is a friend and a fan of his ability.<\/p>\n Laurie Daley in 2014, during his time in charge of the Blues.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Christopher Pearce<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve not had a discussion with Laurie, but I\u2019d be surprised if he wants to do it,\u201d Conlon said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know. I do know that we had half-a-dozen people wanting the job straight after Brad resigned \u2013 something I\u2019m sad about as he did so much for the organisation. I do have all the respect and time for Laurie, but I don\u2019t have more to say than that.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is clear is that NRL coaches won\u2019t be excluded, as had been the case in the past, opening the way for the likes of Ricky Stuart<\/strong>, Craig Bellamy<\/strong> or Ivan Cleary<\/strong> if they want the job.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always had the view that this is a job that\u2019s open to club coaches,\u201d Conlon said. \u201cI just don\u2019t know how many club coaches would want to do the job.\u201d<\/p>\n The NSWRL has been crying poor about a lack of funding, but it has alienated two of the most valuable minds in the game, who were willing to work for free.<\/p>\n It has been well documented that Phil Gould<\/strong> didn\u2019t want any money to help Fittler. Cleary was also happy to work with Fittler for nothing. Both would have been able to ask for a decent fee to help the Blues.<\/p>\n The insulting part-time job offered to Fittler \u2013 a five-month commitment rather than a full-time gig \u2013 compared to the three-year deal signed by Queensland coach Billy Slater<\/strong> has been sold as a cost-cutting measure due to a funding dispute between the NRL and the state bodies.<\/p>\n How Queensland can fund Slater but NSW now want a part-timer needs to be questioned. The NRL provides both state governing bodies with the same level of funding for the Origin series.<\/p>\n Nathan Cleary\u2019s secret kicking session.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Nine<\/cite><\/p>\n The sound of silence at a secret goal-kicking session has Nathan Cleary<\/strong> primed for his fourth straight grand final.<\/p>\n Cleary has been working hard on breathing techniques and visualisation as he looks for any edge he can find. He was granted access to Accor Stadium on Tuesday afternoon for a mind- and boot-sharpening kicking session thanks to his kicking coach Daryl Halligan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI like to go to the stadium that I\u2019m kicking at,\u201d he said. \u201cYou sort of become familiar with the surroundings. Daryl Halligan is my kicking coach and he gets me on there. He\u2019s pretty tight with the ground staff there, so I\u2019m grateful for that.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s just something peaceful about it, too. It\u2019s not often you get to go into Accor with no one in there and you compare that to Sunday where it\u2019s going to be sold out. It\u2019s a bit weird. It\u2019s different. It\u2019s not often you get to do something you enjoy doing in complete silence with no one around and it\u2019s just so different to what it\u2019s like in a game.\u201d<\/p>\n Cleary is renowned for his preparation, and says he\u2019s getting smarter with how he goes about it.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like over the years I\u2019ve become less meticulous but more refined in what I need to do to play well or get my preparation right,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI probably used to always think it was all physical preparation, just getting the reps in and I\u2019ve continued to do that \u2013 I think that\u2019s extremely important \u2013 but it\u2019s also the mental reps, trying to just stay calm in those moments, [using] different breathing techniques and mental rehearsal throughout the week.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just a big believer that if you get your preparation right, then you go into the game with no excuses and can really be free and let yourself enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n Penrith grand final rookie Izack Tago<\/strong> has revealed he no longer uses modern medicine, while Jarome Luai<\/strong> says the secret to his remarkable return from a dislocated shoulder has been bone broth, creams and ointments from the local Penrith naturopath.<\/p>\n Panthers star Izack Tago.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Tago, however, has taken things to another level. He is well known for being a different character \u2013 he owns an old-school flip phone and, unlike a lot of NRL players, he is a big reader \u2013 but it\u2019s a shock to learn he won\u2019t allow himself to be treated using modern medicine.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t even take the protein powder the club wants me to,\u201d Tago said. \u201cI used it a couple of times because they want me to, but it\u2019s not for me. I have not taken medicine for a few years now … it\u2019s not something I do. I don\u2019t really get sick … if I do get something like a fever I just sit with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Tago said he had discovered alternative ways to deal with the health challenges that come with being a professional athlete.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a few old ways of dealing with illness that I use … old tricks that have sort of fizzled out, but that\u2019s what I do. I\u2019m just going back to my roots. It\u2019s how I like to live.\u201d<\/p>\n In a game where sports science is always evolving and operations are the norm, Tago said he did not consider going under the knife for a recent pectoral injury, which nearly robbed him of a place in the decider.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t need one [an operation] for my pec … just rest and I got better that way,\u201d he said. \u201cMy injuries have not needed surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n As for technology?<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like being distracted by things like that … I\u2019ve got a phone with the apps and all of that, but at times when I don\u2019t want the distraction, I go back to the flip phone,\u201d he said. \u201cIt suits me and I know when I need to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Luai also took a different approach when it came to treatment for his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cBone broths, ointments from the natural shop at Penrith, coconut water, it\u2019s what has got me through,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not in pain. I\u2019m at seven out of 10.\u201d<\/p>\n The Broncos can take this with a grain of salt if they like, but James Fisher-Harris<\/strong> \u2013 the man who will set the physical tone for the Panthers \u2013 isn\u2019t dreaming of a grand final win; he\u2019s playing for the enjoyment of brutal impacts.<\/p>\n Penrith\u2019s fearsome front-rowers Moses Leota, James Fisher-Harris and Spencer Leniu.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Steven Siewert<\/cite><\/p>\n When asked about the pressure of leading the Panthers in a grand final, he said: \u201cI don\u2019t care about the result, I just care about playing hard and getting into the physical battle. I like the physical stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the young Broncos coming to get him.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what we do; I\u2019m keen,\u201d he said. \u201cMe and Moses [Leota], we just do what we are told and what the team needs. I\u2019m keen to take them on; their whole forward pack, they have been killing it. It\u2019s special playing Brisbane.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople say I\u2019m a scary dude, but I\u2019m just chilling \u2013 it\u2019s my resting face.\u201d<\/p>\n Old-timers will remember Trevor Cogger<\/strong>, who played 160 games for Wests in the 1980s and 1990s. He is now known as Jack\u2019s dad, given the rise and rise of his son as the Panthers charged to their fourth straight grand final.<\/p>\n Jack has revived his career as the Panthers\u2019 super sub, most notably filling in admirably when Luai dislocated his shoulder in the final game of the regular season.<\/p>\n When I asked Trevor for his thoughts on his son, he said: \u201cHe will be more than ready [if called upon in the grand final]. Penrith have obviously seen his commitment and he has played 13 NRL games this year and now got himself a shot at a premiership ring.\u201d<\/p>\n Roosters 2013 grand final hero Michael Jennings<\/strong> is no longer banned after serving his suspension for a positive drug test in 2020.<\/p>\n Like Bronson Xerri<\/strong>, Jennings is free to play competitive sport after completing his three-year ban in September. At 35, you would think it highly unlikely he could make a league comeback, but Jennings has told me before he wants to play until he\u2019s 40. And recently, he has been telling people he would like a train and trial deal in the NRL.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Silent assassin<\/h3>\n
Natural talent<\/h3>\n
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Let\u2019s get physical<\/h3>\n
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The rising son<\/h3>\n
Trial after error<\/h3>\n
Clucky Rooster<\/h3>\n