Australian Test mentor Tim Sheens says he’ll be using Wednesday’s State of Origin clash as food for thought for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup but will be intrigued to watch the battle of the coaches unfold at ANZ Stadium.
Sheens coached both Mal Meninga and Laurie Daley during a golden era at Canberra between 1988 and 1996 when the Raiders won three premierships.
Few people in the game know the pair as well as the 62-year-old former Wests Tigers and North Queensland boss and he said the presence of two Origin greats in rival boxes will add to the occasion.
“I am really looking forward to it, and I am pleased to see two of more of my old players coaching against one another in Origin,” Sheens told AAP.
“Origin was originally designed as a trial for the Test team and although things have moved on and it is now its own separate entity, I will still be using it as a valuable part of our build-up to the World Cup.”
Unlike Meninga, who succeeded Sheens at the helm of the Raiders in 1997, Daley has stepped into the Origin cauldron without having coached a single first-grade game.
Sheens refused to be drawn on whether he thought that inexperience would make a difference but said Daley’s knowledge of the game is as good as anyone he’s coached during his 29-year career.
“You can’t really say when you coach a player if they will be a good coach or not,” Sheens said.
“That takes about five years of doing the job before you can really gauge.
“I am not going to sit here and tell Laurie what he should or should not be doing.
“He was wonderfully talented player with a great football brain. He’s been a commentator for a long time and around football so he knows the game inside out.”
Sheens was coaching the 19-year-old Daley when he made his NSW debut in 1989 and given the toughest of baptisms by Meninga who scored two tries in a 30-6 win for Queensland.
Daley recalled on Monday how Meninga left stud marks down the front of him at Lang Park that night and admitted he didn’t handle the situation well.
However, Sheens said he doesn’t remember having to speak to Daley to try to pick him up mentally upon his return to Canberra.
“Players were different then, they had jobs and also played,” he said.
“After Origin players from Queensland and NSW would tease each other for a bit, but that was it, then they moved on.”
Sheens has been impressed with how Meninga has galvanised Queensland into an all-conquering side since taking over in 2006 and said Daley’s plan to not overload his players with information was the right approach to take.
“Queensland’s success is down to having some of the best players in the game, particularly in the halves,” he said.
“But the manner in which Mal has gone about building the side has been very impressive.
“Laurie will know from being an Origin and Test player that you don’t micro-manage rep teams.
“You have a gameplan and structure, but you don’t coach players at this level like you would at club level.”
