Maroons coach Billy Slater has responded to the controversial comments made by Blues counterpart Michael Maguire, who said Queenslanders who questioned his Game I tactics were living in “glass houses”.
When Blues debutant Joseph Sua’ali’i was sent off early in Game I for a high shot on Reece Walsh, many believed it was a ploy from New South Wales to target the electric fullback.
Maroons greats Johnathan Thurston and Nate Myles weren’t shy to share their disgust in the aftermath, but Slater was pretty tight-lipped when he was asked about the hit in interviews following Game I.
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‘You want Billy to talk about this’ | 03:53
In an exclusive interview with James Hooper which aired on NRL360, Maguire fuelled the fire further.
“I think you’ve got to make sure you don’t live in glass houses. It (the Suallii send off) was one of those unfortunate things that happens in games but when you go after a player it’s not acceptable in this space … Glass houses, it’s an interesting one that one,” Maguire said to Hooper.
Maguire double downed on those comments in a press conference on Monday morning the night after the Blues Game II squad was announced.
It’s believed Maguire was referencing Slater and his lengthy judiciary rap sheet during the course of his playing career.
“We don’t need to be Einstein to work out who he was referring to there. He’s fired a shot, an early shot and I don’t mind it,” NRL360 co-host Braith Anasta said after Maguire’s comments were aired.
“I don’t think Billy will probably agree with it though.”
In an interview with NRL360, Slater was grilled about Maguire’s comments on by journalist Brent Read, which made for tense television.
Read: Hey Billy, Madge has lit the fuse today. He was asked about the comments about Reece Walsh and the response since that to Joe (Sua’ali’i) and Joe taking out Reece Walsh and he basically accused Queenslanders of living in glasshouses. A lot of people are taking that as a shot towards you. How do you respond to that?
Slater: Ah what comments? Are they from me, the comments from me?
Read: The comments from you after the game. People have taken what Madge has said about people living in glass houses and taken that as maybe a shot at you and your comments after the game which I think you had a go at NSW about targeting Reece Walsh.
Slater: Nah. I purposely didn’t comment on that incident if you listen to the press conference.
Read: Sorry, I think you spoke later didn’t you? I think you made comments on the Footy Show or something like that.
Slater: No, I think you might need to check my comments.
Read: Ok, I’ll do that Billy.
What QLDer was Madge referring to? | 01:36
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“You could hear the crickets then,” Anasta quipped after the completion of the interview.
“Well he did make some comments. He spoke about it being a bad look,” Read responded.
“ I wasn’t having a go at Billy, I was giving him the opportunity to respond to Madge … I assumed he had seen the comments from Madge but obviously he hasn’t seen them. I’m sure if he had seen them we would have got a different reaction out of him because Madge made the glass houses comments and everyone assumed they were directed at Billy.
“That’s why Madge shouldn’t have been so general because if they were directed at Billy he should have made it very clear.”
Maroons great Gorden Tallis took a quite a swipe at Maguire for his comments.
“If Madge wants to have a go at another coach it should be about his coaching career, not about his playing career because when Billy talks about a guy getting targeted, he’d know because there’s no player that was targeted more than Billy Slater in his era,” Tallis said.
“I played against Madge and he probably was never targeted, no one even knew he was on the field.”
Slater was also asked about Maguire’s comments on Channel 9’s 100% Footy and again played a very straight bat.
“I’ve heard the comment, I haven’t watched the press conference. I don’t really understand the comment to be honest,” he said.
”… I don’t understand the situation and the whole context around it.”