NSW coach Laurie Daley has conceded he has to “take full accountability” after the Blues’ shock Origin series defeat to the Maroons.
After prevailing in game one in Brisbane, the Blues suffered defeats in Perth in game two, and then in the series decider in Sydney in game three on Wednesday, to slump to a third series loss from the last four.
Speaking on his Big Sports Breakfast radio show, Daley was willing to accept responsibility.
“We expected a better performance, obviously, so I’ve been scratching my head (and asking) why? Why did we have a performance like that?” Daley asked.
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“That has to start with the coaches, me in particular. I’ve got to look at myself and make sure I go through what I did to see whether that was the best I could have done.
“As head coach, I have to take full accountability because I’m the leader. I get that, I understand that.”
Daley said he can’t put his finger on why the Blues were off the pace in the decider, which they lost 24-12 to the Maroons.
“Going on what I felt after the game, I’m still none the wiser because I was so happy with the way we prepared and went about it,” Daley added.
“We have to find out why we started the way we did in games one and two. We have to find out what happened and why we weren’t ready to go out at our best, why we made the mistakes and what positions we put them in.
“Are there other things that I could have done that would have made a big difference?
“There were no suggestions at all that we were going to give a performance like that. Our preparation was as good as I’ve seen and I was very confident going into the game.”
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Daley now has just one series win from six in charge – his sole victory coming in 2014, during a five series stint in charge from 2013 to 2017.
The 55-year-old returned to the role this year, replacing Michael Maguire, who took over as Broncos coach.
NSWRL chief executive Dave Trodden has confirmed Daley will see out his two-year contract as Blues coach, which runs until the end of the 2026 series.
