New Hull FC boss John Cartwright and Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur have both bene named as ‘potential targets’ to be appointed to the vacant New South Wales gig.
There is an opening to coach the Blues after former Wigan Warriors boss Michael Maguire exited to take up the Brisbane Broncos job, leaving New South Wales without a head coach.
With State of Origin being held in such high regard down under, with higher prestige than the international game for many, it’s one of the biggest coaching vacancies in the sport that is sure to turn heads.
And now two Super League coaches have been named on a list of 12 potential targets to replace Maguire and take up the mantle with the Blues.
It would surely lead to a Super League exit given the fact that Origin takes place in the middle of the season but the prestige of the role could be something that tempts those listed.
Leeds Rhinos boss linked to New South Wales job
Credit: SWpix
The duo that have been named have just ten games of Super League coaching under their belt and that all comes down to Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur, who was previously linked to the vacant Broncos job that Maguire has just taken up.
Arthur was appointed midway through the season and took his team on a five and five record to end the season, missing out on the top six by just two points.
He has already penned a one-year extension that ties him to Leeds Rhinos for 2025 but the call to return down under and take the Blues gig could be an appealing one.
Exiting Leeds Rhinos to take on the Blues job has been labelled the “perfect pathway to get his name back in the mix to coach in the NRL, ” something the Australian might consider himself.
The other Super League coach named on the shortlist is yet to coach a Super League game and that’s Hull FC boss John Cartwright who left the Brisbane Broncos.
It would be a major U-turn for Cartwright to quit the Hull FC gig before even starting but he is a former New South Wales player and stranger things have happened.
Other familiar names on the shortlist include former Huddersfield Giants coach Nathan Brown.
