Matt King has spoken glowingly of his admiration for Billy Slater as he revealed the Queensland coach was one of the first people he called after landing the NSW State of Origin job.
King, an assistant to Laurie Daley over the last two series and Michael Maguire in 2024, was unveiled as the new Blues coach on Tuesday on a two-year deal with an option for a third.
The 45-year-old will give up his day job as assistant to Trent Robinson at the Sydney Roosters at the end of the NRL season and will get his feet under the desk as Blues coach after working under Michael Cheika with Lebanon at this year's Rugby League World Cup.
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King will then turn his attention to defending the Origin shield against Slater, who was once his roommate during away trips at the Melbourne Storm.
"It's been a 20-year relationship with Billy so I wanted Billy to hear the news from me before you guys," King said.
"I chatted to Bill and the admiration from him coming to me was just the same as me going to him, so our friendship will remain strong
"I'm looking forward to that challenge to go up against Bill and clearly he has an exceptional talent for coaching.
"I know the sort of person he is, and why the players play for him because he's such a good man too … but enough about Queensland."
His respect for Slater goes deep and you suspect that unlike Maguire, who famously got under the Queensland coach's skin when he accused him of living in a "glass house", King won't be entering into a war of words with his ex-Storm teammate.
"The last time I went to Billy Slater's house was when he had a little terrace in Richmond, I think he's upgraded since then," King said.
King, in his first senior coaching gig, plans to enlist the same support staff that helped Daley go out on a high in this year's series with victory in a game-three decider in Brisbane.
Frank Ponissi will remain as the Blues' team manager, while Boyd Cordner and Brett White will stay on as assistants under King, who is on the hunt for a new attack coach following his promotion.
"The Blues jumper means everything to everyone in that gang, and I'm hoping to keep those guys," said King, who played nine games for the Blues and had stints at the Storm, Souths and Warrington.
"I think (I'd like to hire someone with) some NRL coaching at an assistant sort of level would be great ... I'm clear on the areas that I feel like we need to become stronger in."
The appointment of King until the end of the 2028 series at least, rules out the NSWRL approaching Ivan Cleary.
The Panthers coach has signalled he will look to get into representative coaching when he departs Penrith at the end of the 2027 season.
King, who missed out on the Blues job to Daley in 2025 and said that decision "stung", claims he has benefited from seeing the scrutiny his predecessor had faced.
"I am so aware of what's coming my way and what I'm signing up for," he added.
"Loz dealt with it in a way which I really respected - not at one stage throughout that time did he ever push that pressure onto anyone in his staff or the playing group.
"I realise that a massive part of my job is to absorb that pressure."
