NSW Rugby League heavyweights will have further discussions this week about the Blues Origin coaching job, and one thing they have been waiting on is the eligibility of Laurie Daley.

I have been told by sources with knowledge of the situation, who did not want to be named due to the sensitive nature of negotiations, that there have been top-level discussions between Daley and NRL officials to clear him to coach NSW. He has also been given the all clear by ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys.

The ongoing and long-standing issue for Daley is his association with the TAB. He hosts The Big Sports Breakfast on Sky Sports Radio with Gerard Middleton and Michael Clarke, and he also plays a role as a spokesman for the TAB, making appearances on The Late Show with Matty Johns on Fox Sports. However, he has been told he will need to stop spruiking odds on that show to get the Blues job.

The NRL stopped Daley from working as a consultant at Manly in 2022 because of his involvement with the TAB, a wagering operator, and concerns about conflicts of interest.

The NSWRL said they were still waiting for an answer on Daley’s status, which would give them clarity as they struggle to find someone to tick all the boxes as a potential coach.

Daley has unfinished business at Origin level after he was sacked in 2017 having won only six of 15 games and one of five series. He was, however, up against one of the greatest teams ever, the Maroons winning 11 of 12 series during a remarkable run from 2006 to 2017.

Another Blues coaching option, Matt King, has been getting some attention. He has support from those who helped the Blues to their amazing come-from-behind series win this year with Michael Maguire as head coach. King was an assistant to Maguire, as was the well-regarded Brett White.

King meets some of the criteria, having worked in the highly regarded systems at the Storm and Roosters. The main concern is that he has not been a head coach at a high level. But then again neither had Queensland coach Billy Slater before he took over the Maroons in 2022, and he won his first two series in charge. Having said that, Slater is widely accepted as one of the game’s smartest minds, and while King may be able to rival him, he hasn’t got Slater’s public profile.

The ability to handle the media is also vital, as Maguire showed during this year’s series. Despite Slater having a strong media pedigree – he works for the Nine Network – Maguire got the better of Slater and got under his skin.