As both states threw stones across the Tweed River, this year’s hateful Origin series in Brisbane was set to end with a bang.

“YOU MUST make sure you don’t live in glass houses.”

When Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i threw his shoulder into Reece Walsh’s head seven minutes into the first game, it signalled the start of the 2024 State of Origin series.

And when Sua’ali’i’s coach Michael Maguire made that attack on his opponent Billy Slater – apparently to question Slater’s moral authority to criticise unfair play, given his own disciplinary history as a player – the fire was only fanned.

The battle for media power was as fiercely fought as the battle for supremacy over the interstate position in the park, after Slater fretted over questions about Sua’ali’i’s high position.

Speaking to Australian broadcaster Fox League shortly after the season opener, Maguire denied suggestions the Blues had deliberately fouled fullback Walsh with his puzzling ‘glass houses’ joke.

When reporters asked the NSW coach during an awkward press conference with Slater before the second match in Melbourne whether his jab was aimed at Slater, Maguire confirmed: “You all worked that out yourselves”.

Maguire referred to Slater’s criminal record as a player, which includes 10 separate charges, including a seven-week ban for kicking an opponent in the head in 2006.

The Blues’ first-year coach reiterated his accusation of Auburn hypocrisy in the build-up to the deciding game, referring to “glass houses again” after media reports of the Blues’ physical prowess in their crushing second-leg upset against Queensland.

“Glass houses” became the symbol of another characteristically bitter interstate campaign.

And with so many stones thrown over the border by both teams, it was inevitable that the deciding match at Suncorp Stadium on July 17 would end in drama, with one team holding up the shield, the other having to dig through a mountain of broken glass.

When Bradman Best and Mitchell Moses twice broke through the home side’s defence in the third leg, three minutes into the second half, Maguire knew he was the manager who would have the last laugh.

In his first interstate campaign, Maguire reclaimed the shield for the first time since 2021, handing Slater his first series defeat as coach.

The 50-year-old coach has had a career full of firsts, winning Wigan’s first title in 12 years in 2010, South Sydney’s first league win in 43 years in 2014, New Zealand’s first trophy in nine years in 2023 and now NSW’s first decisive win at Suncorp in 19 years.

From the moment he made his groundbreaking comment, it was clear that Maguire would star in the 2024 Origin series.

Whether you consider him a hero or a villain depends on which side of the Tweed River you live on.

Maguire’s appointment last November failed to convince even the most ardent Blues fans.

After predecessor Brad Fittler stepped down for the last two of his six years at the helm, the man known as “Madge” seemed like a poor fit.

While Queensland boast a host of former stars in their coaching ranks, NSW didn’t have much to choose from, apart from the sacked Wests Tigers coach.

And against a stable Maroons side led by the vaunted Slater, Maguire endured a terrible start as NSW coach before a ball had even been kicked.

Certain picks Nathan Cleary and Tom Trbojevic both suffered serious hamstring injuries in May, while likely picks Moses (foot), Cameron Murray (hip) and Connor Watson (throat) — all of whom appeared in Game Two — also appear on the injured list.

Maguire was given the option of a fullback – Penrith’s Dylan Edwards over current captain James Tedesco – but a quadriceps injury in training four days before the match saw the dismissed Tedesco return for the season opener in Sydney.

The game was effectively over when referee Ashley Klein sent Sua’ali’i off for his high shot on Walsh, with the Maroons going on to win 38-10.

Despite the lopsided margin, the Blues still managed to take the lead in the first match, leaving the Queenslanders to sweat until the visitors secured victory in the closing stages.

And with the team more to Maguire’s liking, the second match in Melbourne was very different.

Five new faces — Edwards, Moses, Murray, Watson and a return-to-form Latrell Mitchell — sparked a revival for the Blues, who raced into a barely believable 34-0 lead in a thrilling first half on neutral ground.

With a mouthwatering third match on the menu in Brisbane, the Queensland legends took on the challenge for their state.

Former enforcer Gorden Tallis took aim at Mitchell for pushing Walsh in Melbourne, warning: “When the tables are turned, don’t whine. Don’t sit around whining.”

Steadfast Corey Parker urged the Maroons to adopt the mentality of, “If we have to throw a 10 in the trash because we hit someone, we’ll do it.”

The Blues even brought a DJ to the training camp to prepare for the hostile cacophony of noise that awaited them in the cauldron that is Suncorp Stadium.

Since Origin was formed in 1980, NSW have travelled to Brisbane for a tiebreaker 13 times. They have only taken the shield to Sydney twice — in 1994 and 2005.

In total, the Blues had won just five of 22 tie-breaking third-leg matches up to 2024.

With a chance to tear up the history books, Maguire’s men defied NSW’s poor record in deciding matches.

The New South Welshman defied an early onslaught from Queensland’s dogged defence to take control of the first half, but the home side’s desperation and a late penalty left the Blues two points behind at half-time.

The rivals traded penalties as the arm wrestling continued into the second half, before Best and Moses exploited the tiring Queenslanders with their three-minute burst of skill, speed and power.

Maguire’s DNA was clearly visible in his team’s calm defence, as he failed to score a try for the Maroons at Suncorp for the second time since the new Lang Park opened in 2003.

And when he finally had the team he wanted – a team with Edwards pumping his legs at the back, Moses threading the ball into the halves and Murray adding quality to a strong side in the middle – things fell into place with ball in hand too.

Maguire not only won the battle of words, but also where it matters: on the field of play.

Few expected much from Madge in the interstate arena. A year on the job and he has already broken through Slater’s glass house.

First published in Rugby League World magazine, issue 499 (August 2024)

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