How Freddy’s call to arms inspired Blue steel

Brad Fittler is underestimated as a coach by too many and, while the Blues’ success has been put down to a side packed with individual brilliance, Freddy hasn’t received the credit he deserves.

Fittler worked on a theme of courage in the build-up to game two as he tried to guide his men to do something no other Blues team had done: win the opening two matches in the Maroons’ backyard.

Boyd Cordner and Brad Fittler celebrate at Suncorp Stadium.

The 1982 NSW team is the only other Blues side to play the first two games of a series in Queensland, but they could win only one. Fittler’s team did the double, creating history with an inner steel.

The visual effect was to bring Boyd Cordner into camp. He was with the Blues from the Wednesday before the Sunday evening game, attending and taking part in training on Thursday and travelling to Queensland with the side.

At that Thursday session Fittler told me he wanted the Blues to carry a bit of Cordner onto the field with them. What he didn’t say was that his Blues players would have the number 253 sewn into their jumpers, a nod to Cordner’s order of selection as a Blues player. Privately, Cordner’s influence was far greater than it appeared.

On the Saturday night before the game, Fittler addressed the team, starting with a definition of “courage”. The powerful speech was followed by a carefully crafted series of clips, all showing Cordner involved in courageous acts on the field: the tough carries, running the hard lines, making the desperate tackles. It was Cordner doing the things he did better than any other player of his generation. It showed the courage that probably cut his career short, but defined him.

Billy Slater won the Wally Lewis medal for player of the series in his final Origin campaign in 2018.Credit:NRL Photos

Sweet 16

There’s a growing feeling among the NRL clubs that head office is backing away from its plan to expand the competition to 17 teams.

In the end, it will depend on Fox Sports stumping up more cash as the TV deal is altered. And it will require the other clubs to approve the addition of an extra team.

The ARL Commission was due to hear submissions from the three bid teams this week and make a call on expansion by the end of the month, but it cancelled the meetings due to COVID challenges and restrictions. Club bosses pointed out that the NRL regularly holds telephone and Zoom hook-ups to deal with important issues.

Instead, the NRL is now talking about pushing back the introduction of a new Queensland team to 2024 – 12 months later than originally planned. But some feel it may not happen at all.

It has become clear that adding an extra team to the competition would cost the game a lot of money at a time when it has seen its profits reduced by COVID-19. Most of the existing clubs want to grab any surplus funds themselves rather than letting it go to a new club. They say the last thing the competition needs right now is another “easy beat” that gets thumped by 40 or 50 points each week.

Most believe it would take a new team at least five years to become competitive on the field.

Interestingly, the NRL’s strategy guru, Lachlan Smith – who led the expansion studies – has resigned. Smith said in his first report that adding an extra team was high risk, but found a way to make it work after he was asked to have another look. But he won’t be hanging around to see it implemented.

The NRL’s head of participation, Luke Ellis, has also left head office to take up a role with the Rugby League Players Association. That leaves the governing body with holes to fill in two of its most important areas – expansion and participation.

Keeping Kikau

The next significant challenge for the Panthers is managing the financial expectations of game-breaking back-rower Viliame Kikau. There is talk his management is looking for marquee money, but the Panthers are in no position to match the mega dollars that Kikau is likely to command from one of the many desperate clubs in the NRL.

Kikau also would be a big target for overseas rugby, where there is no shortage of money.

Penrith do have money put aside to upgrade Kikau’s deal, but will it be enough? While league can be a cruel and volatile game, and Kikau will want to maximise his earnings, he should consider that his current team are in the middle of a special run of form and that doesn’t look like ending for many years to come.

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