NSW coach Michael Maguire has taken another jab at his Queensland counterpart Billy Slater after the Maroons cancelled their squad’s scheduled open media day.
Maguire got under Slater’s skin leading ahead of Game II with the now infamous “glasshouses” sledge.
And he couldn’t resist turning up the heat on Slater on Monday.
“Yeah okay, that’s probably the path they have gone. What I have learnt in this role that the Origin team, it’s really about the people,” Maguire responded when asked about the move on Monday.
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“It’s the people’s team. I have definitely felt that in the enormity of the role and everywhere you go around NSW, the support of the fans and the people.
“The passion they have behind this team is quite incredible, and obviously being in this role you do feel that.
“I see this team as part of the people’s team, and it’s something that our group has adopted (and) that we want to bring everyone along the journey.
“The fans in that first game they turned out in droves, we weren’t quite able to get the result we were after, but the effort the boys showed was excellent.
“Then they took that into the next camp and we will take it into this one, and we are carrying them with us.”
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The Maroons held an open media day at Suncorp Stadium before the series opener, and then in Toowoomba during their fan day ahead of Game II.
But media won’t be afforded the same opportunity leading into a heavily-anticipated series decider.
The move turned heads with a source telling News Corp Slater was “closing ranks”.
“Slater always talks about Queensland being the people’s team and how they represent five million Queenslanders. Yet now he’s closing ranks on the very media people that are a conduit to the Queensland people,” the source said.