Slater leaves Maroons in great shape after coaching stint
- FOGS
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- 5 min read
Billy Slater has left Queensland in a wonderful position to prosper into the future after five years at the helm as coach.
When the Maroons legend stepped down at the end of the 2026 series, he left behind a record that proves the elite company the 43-year-old is now in as a coach at the Origin level.
As head coach, his eight Origin match wins and three series out of five victories has only been surpassed by Maroons coaches Arthur Beetson, Wayne Bennett and Mal Meninga.
Maroons chairman of selectors Gene Miles said Slater deserved to be regarded as one of Queensland’s best mentors and is sure the door remains open for him to return to the role in future.
“There is no doubt in the world that he could coach Queensland again in the future, and I am sure the Queensland Rugby League would welcome him back with open arms,” Miles said.
“He’s left Queensland in really good shape.”
Meninga stands alone as Maroons coach with a record-breaking 20 wins and nine series triumphs out of 10 attempts.
Beetson won 11 games and five series as coach between 1981-84 and 1989-90.
Bennett coached in four different stints and won 13 games and won the Origin shield in six series, including 2002 when the Maroons were declared winners in a 1-all result after being champions the previous season.
When Slater took charge in 2022, the Maroons had lost three of their previous four series, with the magnificent win under Bennett in 2020 with what NSW media had called the "worst team in Origin history" the only success.
Pundits were predicting a Blues dynasty was about to dawn but Slater, who played 31 Origin matches for the Maroons, ensured that did not eventuate.
From the get-go, the team played as a unit, won more games than they lost and epitomised the skill, desire and grit that has been a hallmark of successful Queensland outfits.
Miles said the regard the players have for Slater came to the fore in Perth in game two of the 2025 Origin series when former NSW prop Aaron Woods made outrageous slurs against the coach in the press.
The Maroons went out and won 26-24.
“They had so much respect, considering what he had already done as a player for Queensland,” Miles said.
“When the boys came into camp you could see straight away the high regard they had for a rookie coach.
“The highlight out of the five years I thought was when Aaron Woods decided to attack our coach. All of our players got together and said, ‘this isn’t right’.
“The performance was in the pudding and they were totally switched on in Perth after Woodsy had bagged him.
“We had to win that game because we were one down.”
The Maroons faced heartache and adversity in the decider in Sydney when Steven Munster, the father of captain Cameron Munster, died towards the end of the team’s camp stay at Twin Waters.
Munster went home to grieve with the full support of the team and coach and returned to lead the side to a famous 24-12 win, the first time in history Queensland had won consecutive matches away from Brisbane to clinch a series.
Incredibly, the Maroons did not make an error until the 69th minute of the match.
“That was unheard of at that level,” Miles said.
“You review any Origin series and it is the mistakes file that you look at, whether you have won or lost.
“To go 69 minutes before we made out first mistake is super impressive. You are going to win every game if you can do that.
“The players went out and did it for Cameron and for the coach.”
During his tenure, Slater was one of three selectors along with Miles and Darren Lockyer. The coach got the team he wanted and between the three Maroons legends they made inspired choices.
Versatile forward Reuben Cotter, who debuted in 2022 in game one in Sydney, was quick to assert his credentials.
After the Maroons lost second-rower Tom Gilbert early in game one in Adelaide in 2023, Cotter moved from the middle to back-row and was man of the match in a 26-18 win. He had never played on an edge in his life before that match but showcased the versatility that has made him a Maroons regular. He was Wally Lewis Medal and Ron McAuliffe Medal winner in that series.
In the decider in 2022, the coach had a big decision to make when Munster was ruled out due to COVID.
Tom Dearden debuted at No.6 and had a stellar match in a 22-12 win at Suncorp Stadium. The Cowboys co-captain was then elevated to starting No.7 in game two in 2025 when the tough decision was made to drop captain Daly Cherry-Evans.
He stepped up in the remaining two games to win the Wally Lewis-Ron McAuliffe Medal double in a famous 2-1 series win.
“Tommy justified everything Billy thought he could do,” Miles said.
“He was outstanding throughout 2025.”
Slater’s understanding of each player’s form line and their capabilities was vindicated throughout his time in charge.
In 2026, when the Maroons were the better side in the series overall but lost game one in the final minutes, Slater elevated Sam Walker to halfback in the absence of the injured Dearden.
Walker justified the faith to be man of the match in the win at the MCG in game two and was also the best half on the field in the series opener.
The list goes on when it comes to inspired selection choices.
Slater recalled centre/fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow in Adelaide in game one in 2023 and he has now scored an incredible 14 tries in 13 Origin matches.
Winger Selwyn Cobbo, who debuted under Slater in 2022, was also recalled this season and he had his best series in Maroons colours.
Dolphins utility Max Plath was a revelation in his debut series in 2026, where he played multiple positions in the forwards and even defended in the halves when Munster was off for an HIA.
Miles said that Slater’s astute picks were no fluke.
“He sent us a list of the players available for Queensland and no-one prior had ever gone that deep. He knew what junior and senior clubs each player had represented and what positions they had played,” Miles said.
“So his vast knowledge of all the players he had at his fingertips.”
Players such as Cotter and Plath have great futures ahead of them and showcase what it means to be a Maroon.
“Guys like Max Plath and Reuben Cotter are Origin players. You could see when these guys played for their club that they would excel and transition into Origin and Billy saw that in them,” Miles said.
“They are not flash players but they don’t miss tackles, they take the ball up when no-one else wants to, they get smashed and get back up and keep doing it.
“We have a couple of great Origin players in those two and there are quite a few more.
“We couldn’t find centres back in the day and had Kurt Capewell playing there in 2020, and doing a great job too, but we had Robert Toia come in last year and he proved why Billy showed faith in him.”
Slater humbly stepped down as Maroons coach without fanfare in what was a shock to most, but he did so after giving his whole heart and soul to the job.
He paid tribute to all his staff and the QRL for the opportunity to lead the team.
"From being a boy who idolised this team, to a player, to guiding a group that has inspired our state, this has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life," Slater said.
“And to my fellow Queenslanders, thank you for the trust you put in me to be our coach. Being a Queenslander has always been a huge part of who I am, and that will never change.”
