LAURIE DALEY has stepped down as New South Wales coach, with his assistant Matt King replacing him.
Daley led the Blues to a 2-1 victory over Queensland this year, only his second win in seven series as coach across two spells.
After their 30-12 win in the decider at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium last month, Daley hit out at “hidden agendas”, having received significant criticism in the media during the series.
The 56-year-old, who was part of five Origin wins as a player in the 1990s, was out of contract and confirmed his decision not to continue as coach on Monday.
Former Blues back King, who has been an assistant coach for the past three years alongside working for Sydney Roosters under Trent Robinson and will assist Lebanon coach Michael Cheika at the World Cup, steps up in Daley’s place on a two-year contract, with the option for a third year.
King, 45, played ten times for the Kangaroos during a career which took him to Melbourne Storm, Warrington Wolves and South Sydney Rabbitohs, and was endorsed by Daley.
“I’m really clear on what the role looks like because of my experiences over the last few years,” said King, who will step down from the Roosters role he’s had for ten years at the end of the season.
“If you said to me you can pick any job in the world, this would be the one for me. I’ve loved the Blues ever since I was a young fella.
“I know the responsibility that this team has for the whole state, and to know now that I have a leadership position to drive that is incredible.”
He replaces Daley who, having won just one of five series in his first spell in charge of the Blues between 2013 and 2017 – the 2014 triumph which ended a run of eight successive Queensland victories – was a surprise choice to return last year after Michael Maguire left to join Brisbane Broncos.
They let a 1-0 lead slip in the 2025 series and it looked like there would be a similar story this year when the Maroons won 44-24 in Melbourne to cancel out the Blues’ 22-20 home win in the Sydney opener.
But as underdogs in the decider, an exceptional performance delivered redemption for the coach.
“I’ve always considered it an absolute honour and privilege to be involved with the NSW Blues State of Origin team, whether that was as a player or a coach, and I’ve always been ready to answer the call for my state whenever they needed me,” said Daley.
“We faced plenty of challenges in the 2026 series and I’m proud of the way the players banded together to overcome them and save their best performance for Game Three in Brisbane to secure a memorable series win.
“I thank the fans for their passion and their support, and I can’t think of a better way to move on than with the Shield back where it belongs in NSW.”
It remains uncertain whether Billy Slater will remain in charge of Queensland, having been non-committal at the end of this year’s series.
He’s been in charge of the side since 2022, winning three series in five, but is out of contract.