New NSW coach Matt King has says he’s ready for the intense scrutiny that comes with coaching the Blues in State of Origin.
The 46-year-old officially worked his first day as Blues coach on Monday following the end of Lebanon’s Rugby League World Cup campaign.
King’s involvement as an assistant capped off a successful last year out of the spotlight before taking on his first full-time role with NSW.
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He won Origin under predecessor Laurie Daley and the NRL premiership with the Roosters under Trent Robinson.
“I feel so blessed at the moment. I love footy, hands down, but 2026 has been, for me, one of the great years,” King told Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters: Rugby League.
“Origin this year was really special, what Teddy (James Tedesco) did for us in Game 1 and then Game 3 up there at Suncorp, I’ll never forget that, and then Roosters, we managed to get it done, and then Lebanon.
“And then I start with the Blues today, actually, mate.”
King said he will have the “full stop” on team selection but he “would be an idiot” not to lean on his staff — three NRL assistants in Brett White, Boyd Cordner and Ben Hornby, as well as Ryan Hinchcliffe and Frank Ponissi.
He did, though, send a warning of sorts to NSW players with his own criteria.
“Character’s really important to me,” King said.
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“You’ve got to be a good person to pull on a blue jumper, and that’s where it starts.
“What you’ve done in the jumper previous is super important. Current form, of course.
“And then ultimately how you mash into a team, your strengths and weaknesses, how that ties into the players around you, will ultimately decide it.”
Matt King officially began as NSW coach on Monday. Credit: AAP
His first day in “big boy pants” arrived two years after he had first hoped it would.
King was overlooked in favour of Daley two years ago and said it “stung” — but he can now admit “I wasn’t ready”.
“You count your blessings at different times and things happen for a reason,” he said.
“I needed to ride shotgun beside Laurie these last couple of years. The lessons I learnt were incredible and I feel like I’m ready to go now.”
That includes being prepared for the pressure-cooker environment of Origin after 13 years working under Michael Maguire (Rabbitohs and NSW) as well as Daley and Robinson.
“The world’s not short of an opinion and I’ll be getting a few,” King laughed.
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He paid particular tribute to Robinson, saying he owed the Roosters coach “so much” for completing an education that began under Craig Bellamy at the Melbourne Storm.
“I got brought up in the school of Craig Bellamy and Michael Maguire and it’s just what I needed in my career, they taught me how to be so tough,” King said.
“I thought I knew the meaning of hard work and discipline and dedication — I didn’t. Craig Bellamy taught me those meanings.
“Then I fast forward to Trent Robinson and it’s just a full university on how rugby league should be played.
“And it took me 10 years to pass a test. That’s how long it took me to get there.
“Whether it’s defence, attack, transitions, cultural, an attachment to a greater cause, Robbo’s been incredible.”
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