NSW Blues coach Michael Maguire has hit out at suggestions from north of the border that Joseph Suaalii intentionally took Reece Walsh out of Origin I.
Walsh hasn’t played since the hit in just the eighth minute of the series-opener in Sydney, having been ruled a category one under concussion protocols and stood down for 11 days.
Speaking to media after game two teams were announced, Maguire was asked if he was upset at the suggestions.
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“You’ve got to make sure you don’t live in glass houses, that’s all I’ll say,” he said on Monday morning.
“Things happen on the field, and that was one there that Joey – he’s a special human being, to have to deal with that…
“He’ll be in and around the camp at some stage, but things happen on the field.
“Glass houses. Interesting.”
Maguire denied the comments had got under his skin.
“At the end of the day, he’s my player, they’re my players, and if you’re going to have a crack at them, we’re about us and what we’re doing,” he said.
“You’ve got to make sure that when you’re with your players, you’re looking after them and that’s what I’m doing.”
Maguire used a straight bat to answer questions about whether the Blues would target Walsh in Melbourne.
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“You’ve got to go out and defend everyone. Unfortunately about that much was the difference in that one, it is what it is,” he said holding up his thumb and index finger.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to go out and defend what’s there. It’s not about going after people, we’ve got to defend what’s in front of us.
“At the end of the day you need your 17 players. We obviously learned that one.”
In his own press conference, Maroons coach Billy Slater was asked if he’d spoken to the NRL about the incident, and if anything would change for game two. But he completely ignored it.
“My focus and job is to help our players be at their best for 80 minutes at the MCG,” he said.
“That’s where my focus and energy is going right now.”