Gus' warning for Maroons coaching dream team

3 years ago 388

NRL guru Phil Gould has backed Queensland legends Billy Slater, Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith to measurement up and manager the Maroons in the aftermath of Paul Green's departure from the post.

The QRL released a connection yesterday day confirming Green had decided helium wouldn't proceed successful the role, with a hunt for his replacement heating up.

Slater's sanction had been bandied astir passim the people of the twelvemonth arsenic a imaginable successor to Green aft the Maroons dropped the archetypal 2 games of the series.

While the legendary No. 1 maintained his enactment for Green passim his Origin tenure, calls for him to measurement up pursuing the erstwhile Cowboys' coach's exit person been fixed caller life.

Former superstar Queensland fullback Billy Slater. (Getty)

Gould, NSW's astir decorated manager with six bid wins to his name, believed it'd beryllium a "wonderful" crook of events if Slater, alongside chap greats Smith and Thurston, took connected the Maroons responsibility, but implored them to question the counsel of immoderate experienced minds if they bash so.

"It's a bully thought, isn't it? I'm definite they'd emotion to bash it. As agelong arsenic they don't play," Gould quipped connected his Six Tackles with Gus Podcast.

"If those boys went successful determination to bash that, those 3 large players, they would beryllium anserine not to instrumentality Wayne Bennett with them successful immoderate capacity. Just to marque definite of the mechanics of it.

"Those 3 boys would person nary occupation with the on-field worldly and astir apt the off-field worldly arsenic well. But you've got Wayne Bennett, for god's sake, disposable for doing it. What's helium going to do? Sit astatine location successful his rocking seat and look astatine the TV? I'd beryllium going to him and saying, 'look mate we truly privation to look aft this Origin side. We'll bash each the enactment tin you conscionable travel on and marque definite we're doing it properly?'

Slater is keen connected Bennett coming successful to Maroons campy to assistance Paul Green. (Getty)

"It'd beryllium wonderful. I emotion each the aged Origin players jumping successful to assistance retired coaching with the team. A batch of them are doing it and you don't adjacent cognize they're there."

However, speaking amid the speculation, Smith insisted Origin coaching was not a situation presently connected his radar.

"My sanction has been tossed into this conversation, but I tin archer you close now, I person not spoken to a azygous idiosyncratic astatine the QRL," Smith said connected Wednesday.

"That's astir this job, the vacancy oregon my involvement successful it astatine all.

"A caput coaching relation is not connected my radar astatine the moment, it truly isn't.

Cameron Smith (Getty)

"I'm truly enjoying what I'm doing astatine the infinitesimal post-playing career."

Smith believed Slater could beryllium the cleanable acceptable for the Maroons having spoken to him personally astir taking connected the role.

"I could surely spot him successful determination arsenic caput manager due to the fact that he's a feline who has ever wanted to marque a difference," helium told SEN.

"He ever wanted to marque a quality arsenic a player, and I tin spot those aforesaid attributes arsenic a coach.

"I deliberation successful the adjacent 2 to 3 weeks we'll astir apt find retired a batch more. But I'd accidental helium is the sanction that keeps getting thrown around.

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"I've spoken to him astatine the precise opening of this twelvemonth astir his involvement successful coaching Queensland, and helium said if it comes up he'd surely see it.

"He's precise passionate astir the Queensland side, he's a selector, he's heavy progressive already."

Thurston was portion of Green's coaching unit this play and a measurement up to a elder presumption would look a apt acceptable for the Maroons legend.

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