Maroons coach Billy Slater believes his new rival Michael Maguire will bring something "outside the box" to the Origin arena after he was announced as the new mentor of the Blues on Thursday.
After more than a month of speculation, the NSWRL confirmed Maguire's position following the departure of Brad Fittler in September.
Slater played under McGuire when he was an assistant coach at the Melbourne Storm from 2004 to 2009, so the legendary fullback knows the former Kiwi boss better than most.
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"I know he looked outside the box, the normal. He went to a lot of AFL clubs and that sort of stuff," Slater told 9News while running one of his Billy's Buddies clinics.
"He's been around a long time and brings a wealth of knowledge. He's done a great job with the Kiwis.
"[The Blues] will be very strong as they always are."
Maguire resigned as coach of New Zealand last week after his hopes of coaching both representative sides at once were dashed.
Slater has led the Maroons to back-to-back series victories in his two years at the helm of Queensland.
Despite his rapid coaching success, Slater opposed a move into the NRL for the time being.
"No, definitely not on the radar," he said of becoming an NRL head coach.
"I don't like to use the word 'comfortable', but I'm very happy with where life is at the moment for me."
With the 2024 NRL season set to kick off with two matches in Las Vegas in March, Slater believes that Origin could one day tap into the US market.
"You would imagine that the American people would love State of Origin," he said.
"I think they'll love the game of rugby league in general but State of Origin is just that level above."
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