Brad Fittler’s future as NSW coach is set to be decided when he meets with the board now that defeat in State of Origin Game II has put a series victory out of reach.
As Fittler insists his focus is only on winning the third game, Queensland coach Billy Slater has defended his interstate rival, urging his detractors not to forget the earlier achievements of his tenure.
Fittler is NSW’s longest continuously-serving coach but Wednesday night’s 32-6 loss to the Maroons at Suncorp Stadium confirmed back-to-back series defeats, and a record of three series wins and three losses.
Fittler has previously acknowledged there would be pressure on his job if he could not clinch a series victory, with his deal set to expire at the end of the year.
But immediately after the game, with the series down 2-0, the coach was not yet considering his future in charge.
“We’ve got another game to go so I’ll worry about that,” he said.
“Then we’ll see what happens with ‘Troddo’ (NSWRL chief executive David Trodden) and the board.
“We’ve got a couple of weeks. We get an opportunity to tidy things up and turn things around and we can discuss it then.”
In his first year at the helm, in 2018, Fittler denied Slater an Origin swan song by guiding the Blues to a 2-1 series victory in the fullback’s last series as a player.
He followed that effort by inspiring the Blues to a win in the 2019 iteration, which featured a 38-6 trouncing in Game II and a last-gasp 26-20 victory in the finale.
Slater’s stocks have risen in his second series in charge, on the back of his bold selection calls and penchant for oratory.
But the Melbourne great was quick to remind Fittler’s doubters that the NSW coach was in his position after the 2019 series, sitting pretty with two shields from as many attempts.
“We are very quick to forget that,” Slater said.
“He’s done a great job with that team, to bring them together, to create a culture.
“Freddy is a great man. He’s a great coach.
“He understands Origin. Don’t forget that.”
The Blues have now lost four of the last five State of Origin matches despite entering as the favourite in all but one of those fixtures.
Fittler is likely to make at least one alteration to his team after centre Tom Trbojevic went down with a pectoral injury but was tight-lipped as to whether he would ring the changes with the series now dead.
“No idea,” he said.
“We’ll see who’s fit and healthy in a couple of weeks and we’ll pick a team and away we go.”
But NSW debutant Stefano Utoikamanu conceded any number of players could be on the chopping board as the Blues look to recapture their winning ways of the 2021 series.
“That’s just how the game goes,” he said.
“If you lose the game, they look at other players who are playing well and people who could fill a spot to hopefully change the result.
“If I don’t play next game, I’m happy with that. I’m just going to keep fighting for a spot in this team.
“People come and go, you’ve already seen that from the first game to the second game. Second to third is not going to be much different.”
