Rugby league great Cameron Smith says he hasn’t spoken to anyone at the QRL about the Queensland coaching role after Paul Green’s departure on Tuesday.
Smith, along with former Maroons teammates Billy Slater and Johnathan Thurston, have been linked to key roles with the side in the wake of Green leaving his post.
While his name has been mentioned in reports, Smith said he hasn’t had any conversations as of yet.
“My name has been tossed into this conversation, but I can tell you right now, I have not spoken to a single person at the QRL,” Smith said on SEN 1170’s The Captain’s Run.
“That’s about this job, the vacancy or my interest in it at all.”
In an interview with The Australian’s Brent Read last week, Smith said he would consider a role with the side that fits around his current commitments, and he reaffirmed that he has no desire to be a head coach at this stage of his post-playing career.
“I spoke to Brent Read last week or the week before, and he actually questioned me about my interest in the role,” Smith added.
“I said to him a head coaching role is not on my radar at the moment, it really isn’t.
“I’m really enjoying what I’m doing at the moment post playing career.
“Commitments outside of that (media work) really needs to fit into my life at the moment.
“Particularly with some of the media commitments and things with my family.
“I understand that Origin is only three games, but Origin is bigger than that, look at what Brad Fittler has done with New South Wales Rugby League.
“He’s done a lot of stuff in pathways, development and things like that.
“He takes a lot of interest in those younger players coming through, he doesn’t just turn up on day one of camp and start his work there. He’s planning and plotting and thinking about ways he can have this New South Wales side best prepared to beat Queensland.
“There’s a lot more work in it than people think, and anyone can throw their hand up and say, ‘I’ve played for Queensland, I can go and coach them’, well it’s not true.
“You need to be fully committed to the job, and you need to prepared to put in a lot of hard work to give the players the very best opportunity to go out and have the best chance of winning.”
While Smith isn’t interested in a head coaching role, he says he can see his close friend and former teammate Billy Slater as the next coach of the state.
“You look at Queenslanders or Queensland coaches that were available, Paul Green was the only one,” Smith explained.
“You can look at Wayne Bennett, but I don’t think he’ll put his hand up to coach Queensland again given where he’s at in his career.
“Obviously Mal (Meninga), but he’s the current Australian coach… certainly I could see him in a role as a mentor or overseeing the Origin campaign.
“But the name that keeps getting thrown up is certainly Billy’s.
“I’ve spoken to him at the very beginning of this year about his interest in coaching Queensland, and he said if it comes up he’d certainly consider it.
“He’s very passionate about the Queensland side, he’s a selector, he’s heavily involved already.
“I could certainly see him in there as head coach, because he’s a guy who has always wanted to make a difference.
“He always wanted to make a difference as a player, and I can see those same attributes as a coach.
“I think in the next two to three weeks we’ll probably find out a lot more. But I’d say he is the name that keeps getting thrown around.”
Smith also feels Johnathan Thurston could transition to a senior role after serving as an assistant in 2021, and he believes either he or Slater would work well with an experienced mentor guiding them through their first series.
“People say Johnathan Thurston, but he’s already in there, he was an assistant coach this year,” Smith added.
“So he could possibly transition into a head coach as well, those two boys (Slater and Thurston) are probably the front runners with a Wayne or Mal as a mentor.”
If Slater is appointed as Queensland’s next coach, it opens up the possibility for Smith to serve as an assistant alongside Thurston in a similar vein to New South Wales’ set up with Brad Fittler at the top, with Greg Alexander and Andrew Johns serving as his deputies.
Listen to the full chat here.