‘Won’t sign’: Maroons coach drops contract bombshell
Queensland coach Billy Slater does not expect this year’s State of Origin decider to be his last – but will proceed as coach on a handshake basis.
Billy Slater says he “won’t sign another contract” to coach Queensland as he addressed his future as coach.
The Maroons mentor made the stunning admission that he will proceed beyond this State of Origin campaign, if he does, on a handshake basis with the Queensland Rugby League (QRL).
The 43-year-old has won three series out of four and can make it four out of five with a win in the Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium on July 8.
He inked a three-year extension at the end of the 2023 series which expires this year but opened up when asked whether the upcoming match would be his last in charge.
“I don’t think so, but I don’t know,” he said on Monday in Maroons camp on the Sunshine Coast.
“I won’t be signing another contract. This is not a contract job for me.
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“I really enjoy helping this group of men go and inspire our people of Queensland.
“When that changes, my position will change. Or if someone in the QRL decides there’s someone better for the job, I’m all for that as well.”
Slater was then asked to clarify if he meant his future as coach would proceed on a handshake basis.
“Yep, pretty much,” he said.
“It might surprise you, but that’s how it is.”
Melbourne chairman Matt Tripp is on the record as saying that Slater is a “dream” candidate to succeed Craig Bellamy, on contract until the end of 2028, when he calls time on his stint as Storm coach.
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Bellamy, diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder this year, has said there is no guarantee he will coach on beyond the current season.
Slater made it clear that he coaches the Maroons because he enjoys “helping these guys prepare for a game of footy and to go out there and help them inspire the people of Queensland”.
“That’s what this team has given me when I was a kid. It gave me inspiration,” he said.
“Now we get the opportunity to go and give the rest of Queensland that inspiration.”
The Maroons are seeking their first win at Suncorp Stadium since 2023 after losing their previous two matches at their spiritual home to NSW, including the 2024 decider.
Slater was adamant that the team would take nothing for granted on this occasion.
“One thing I want to be really clear about is that it won’t just happen for us in nine days time,” he said.
“You have got to earn every situation, every moment. That is what we are chasing.
“The venue means a lot to us but what happened three weeks ago, 12 months ago or 30 years ago is nearly irrelevant.
“What happens in the next nine days and what happens in the 80 minutes is what will decide the outcome and what we will be focusing on.”
-with AAP
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