SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 03: Raiders Coach, Ricky Stuart speaks during the NRL Grand Final Press Conference at the Westin Hotel on October 03, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)
Both Matthew Johns and Ricky Stuart have declared they are out of the running to be considered as the next NSW Blues coach.
Brad Fittler is unlikely to hold his job following the conclusion of the 2023 series. New South Wales have lost three of the last four series, and two on the hop, with an 32 points to 6 exclamation point being laid out by the Maroons on Wednesday night in Brisbane.
An unassailable two-nil lead has left Fittler suggesting he won’t worry about his future until after Game 3, but regardless, the writing appears to be on the wall.
Johns has long been considered one of the smartest analysts in the game, although has said previously he doesn’t want to go into coaching, while Stuart is a former Blues coach and some have suggested he should take back over.
However, both states now have rules in place preventing NRL coaches from leading their states, and Stuart said that with no desire to change the rule, the Blues job is not something he is considering being in the running for.
“There’s rules in place, mate, that NRL coaches can’t do it,” Stuart told the media in Canberra.
“I don’t think it’s going to change, so we’re probably speculating over something that you should be asking them the question, not me.”
Meanwhile, Johns, who has a number of prominent media roles, said he has too much on his plate to consider taking the Blues coaching job.
“When that came out this morning, that people were saying to have a yarn to me (about coaching), I’ve had about five phone calls,” Johns told SEN Radio.
“Not from media, from people going, ‘Matty if you do get it, what are you thinking,’ I had a few phone calls but no.
“The bottom line is, I’d never put my hand up but you’d also say, ‘You never say, I’ll never do it,’ you just don’t know what circumstance is going to come up in the future.
“The Origin job to even consider it, you’d actually look at it and say, ‘If I can’t give the campaign 100 per cent focus, my entire focus,’ then I wouldn’t even consider it.
“At the moment I’ve got that much on my plate, you couldn’t find the hours to do it, it’s not just the coaching, you’ve got sponsors, dinner, charities and whatnot to do.
“It’s a lot bigger job than just coaching a side for six weeks.”
Names like Danny Buderus, Michael Maguire, Paul McGregor and Phil Gould have been floated as possible options to take over from Fittler.
Source:: ZeroTackle
