Queensland rugby league legends Wally Lewis and Darren Lockyer have praised the commitment of Maroons coach Wayne Bennett and assistant Mal Meninga for putting aside their differences for this State of Origin series.
The pair's history is a well-known narrative in rugby league circles, making their cooperation for Queensland's Origin campaign a curious one.
The bad blood stems from Meninga's appointment as Kangaroos coach back in 2015, after he led a record-setting era of dominance for the Maroons. Meninga was convinced that Bennett had undermined him during the process, airing his grievances in an explosive column in The Courier-Mail shortly after he accepted the Kangaroos role.
"Wayne's year-long, persistent and ongoing objection to my appointment as Kangaroos coach and his obvious frustration at being overlooked for the job, seem to have been born out of his own lack of understanding about what the role actually entails," Meninga wrote.
"My beef with Wayne is not that he wanted the Australian job. I have no problem with ambition.
"What disappoints me is that, as a grown man and a professional, he should be able to accept the decision once it has been made.
"It does annoy me that he is in the background chipping away, trying to undermine my authority and my position with the Australian Rugby League."
Meninga also revealed that Bennett's first betrayal was leaving the Raiders in 1987 to coach the Broncos, ending any amicable relationship they once had.
It's this background that made it astonishing that Meninga was brought onto the Maroons coaching staff by the QRL after Bennett was appointed to take the reins for this series. Yet one game in, it seems the pair have come to a productive understanding that makes both appointments look like a masterstroke.
Just a few months ago the Maroons were a shambles ahead of the unprecedented end-of-year Origin clash. Kevin Walters was the outgoing Queensland coach after two straight series defeats at the helm, as he took up a new role with the struggling Brisbane Broncos.
That opened the door for Bennett, who was given the job even though the man who oversaw the dynasty years, Meninga, was also available. They've become the perfect, if odd, couple to navigate a difficult transition period.
"What it says is it's what Queensland has always been built on - they're doing it for their mates, and their state obviously, but they want to lend a hand to help Queensland bring back the shield," Lockyer told Wide World of Sports' QLDER Origin Special.
"It reflects that they care about the jersey, they're willing to be part of the team and make some sacrifices. "
Lewis said the combination of Bennett and Meninga lift the team to all new heights, and especially with a young side, they make the job a lot simpler for those players.
"They've done it with monotonous regularity, really. The way that they manage to work together as a team in the direction of that side instills a lot of confidence to the team and it sends a pretty simple message to them as well," Lewis said.
"The players speak to them after the game and they were enormously happy with the request that was given from the coach. They all felt that they've been given a pretty simple job and they managed to achieve that quite successfully ."
Lockyer believes it resonates throughout the entire team too, not just the fresh faces.
"We talk about instilling belief and you've got Mal Meninga and Wayne Bennett there; they're giving you messages about situations they've been in before, and all the players - whether they're more experienced or the younger ones - they're going to buy into it and go with you," he said.
Queensland can lock up the 2020 Origin series with victory in Game Two on Wednesday night but they will face a difficult task at ANZ Stadium in Sydney with a majority blue-clad crowd expected to motivate NSW.
Bennett was the mastermind behind Queensland's narrow 18-14 comeback win over the Blues in Game One and already his success has led to calls for him to remain Maroons coach beyond 2020.
According to reports, Bennett is being considered by the QRL to be the permanent Maroons head coach, despite his NRL club commitments with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
If the QRL greenlit such a move, it would be the first time since Michael Hagan in 2005 that a Maroons coach also juggled club duties in the same year.
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