Bring Back Gus! Post by: Dan Ginnane 25 June, 2009 - 1:39 PM

When Robbie Farah threw his tunnel ball pass to gift Queensland their third try and a match winning 18-0 lead, people inside ANZ put their heads down, reached for their phones and started tapping away. The post-mortems had already begun.

My texting was limited to one message, to one person.

Gus please come out of retirement

Now that Craig Bellamy's Origin career is surely down to one last hurrah, it's time to think of an alternative. But who? Ricky Stuart lost a World Cup. Laurie Daley is part of this selection team, the team that lost four straight series. Tim Sheens has the Kangaroos. Andrew Johns? He was an integral part of this coaching staff. John Cartwright? He's still yet to make a finals series.

The answer is obvious.

Gus says he doesn't want to do it. He's retired. He's had enough of the bureaucracy that goes with the gig.

I think he can be talked into it.

Say what you like about Gus, he's a genius. He's a winner. No other Blues coach has won more than one series. He's won six. Sure, he hasn't coached anywhere for four years, but Gus sees three games a week as a commentator, the rest he watches intently on television. He's as switched on about modern day football as anybody.

When the team for game two of this series was announced at half time on Monday Night Football, he spent the two and a half minute ad break analysing the squad. Four selectors sat down for who knows how long, yet in those 150 seconds, he worked out exactly why this team wouldn't gel. Why combinations were wrong. Why certain individuals didn't suit other individuals. Go back to The Verdict podcast for that week. Athena Starwoman would have been proud.

Oh, the reply to my text?

No chance.

I'm not so sure. New South Wales needs him.

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Leave your comment

• shannar says

  I'm not sure he's the solution to all their problems - the selectors need to be sacked first and formost

  Posted Thursday 25 June, 2009 2:07 PM
• deela says

  might be onto something there dan. gus is the kinda person they need to fire a cracker up there clackers and actually play football.

  Posted Thursday 25 June, 2009 2:11 PM
• Jackie says

  How many refs do they need to get it right??
  I am proud to be a QUEENSLANDER
  Well done boys!!

  Posted Thursday 25 June, 2009 4:49 PM
• LizBien says

  I think the comments Gus has made about changing the game back to its former glory is the best news I've heard. As he said, he will have a bigger effect with the media if not in a coaching roll.
  Bring back the game we love and get rid of thiose damn vid refs.

  PS: Bring shame to the eels tonight doggies...

  Posted Friday 26 June, 2009 11:25 AM
• Catherine says

  I think that he would be a good candidate but he is also not the only solution to the Blues problems for starter the selectors have it pretty bad as they seem to have more inexperienced players in the team than experienced and they don't always go for the form players. i think that Nathan Hindmarsh should be brought back into the team as i think it was very stupid for them to leave him out without any explaination and before origin 2 agains the rabbits i think it was where he accumulated 70. now you would be mad not to pick him and then against the knights he chased down kurt gidley as his determination succeeded and he saved a try. PLEASE WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T SELECT PAUL GALLEN AGAIN.

  WE NEED BETTER REFS.. AND A FAIRER SYSTEM AGAINST BIASED REFS

  and keep Jarryd Hayne in the NSW team

  Posted Friday 26 June, 2009 11:29 PM
• scott roser says

  as a penrith jr my whole life i take my hat of to gus he is wat we need in our game. the swrl league need 2 stand up n take notice that if we dont have gus we dont have a competetive team 2 take on the maroons he is from the ols school n thats wat we need in this day and age is some hard heads 2 turn the origin series around n not 2 b abolished evrytime the blues take the feil gus gets a team ready 2 play 80mins of footy not a team that thinks when they r behind its time 2 start playin footy gus u r a ledgend n a coach that has the respect of the rugby league community so nswrl take a leaf out of his book n listen 2 the man who gave us n origin series not a white wash of the maroons. comon gus we need u m8 satnd up n take a bow m8 u deserve the respect that ppl r givin u n lets take the maroons 2 the cleaners 4 a change comon gus make our blues competitive again so the origiun series can b enjoyable

  Posted Monday 29 June, 2009 2:53 PM