Surely we are the other Sydney based club but no way Te'o chooses us over the Rabbitohs given his history there plus pathway to replace Uncle Wayne.
Maybe our opportunity is who Rabbitohs discard for him - Ben Hornby or Steve Antonelli.
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Queensland assistant Ben Te’o set to pull out of race to replace Billy Slater as Maroons Origin coach
The shortlist of coaches to replace departing Queensland mentor Billy Slater continues to shrink, with another frontline candidate set to pull out of the race as he weighs up a move to an NRL club.
Peter Badel
The Maroons are set to lose another frontline candidate with Queensland assistant Ben Te’o weighing up a move to South Sydney amid a poaching bid from English club St Helens.
This masthead understands Te’o has been interviewed by St Helens bosses with a view to replacing Paul Rowley, who stood down from the English powerhouse last month.
Well-placed sources say Te’o is unlikely to move overseas, nor chase the Queensland job, with the Maroons assistant instead being headhunted to reunite with Wayne Bennett at the Bunnies next season.
Te’o declined to comment when contacted on Tuesday, but it’s believed the ex-Broncos defence coach won’t be formally applying for the Maroons post unless approached by the Queensland Rugby League.
Te’o relished his maiden campaign this season working alongside Billy Slater, who resigned last Friday, and is open to considering succeeding him if the QRL deems he is the best fit for the Origin job.
But the 39-year-old, who coached the Queensland under-19s last year, wants to carve out a career as an NRL head coach after successful stints at the Dolphins and Broncos.
Origin great Cameron Smith and Kevin Walters withdrew their interest on Monday and if Te’o is snapped up by Souths, that could leave Broncos assistant Matt Ballin and Maroons legend Darius Boyd as leading contenders.
Te’o has become the most sought-after assistant coach in the code.
Aside from St Helens, the dual international has been interviewed by two Sydney-based NRL clubs, including Souths, who are tipped to win his signature.
Te’o has also been sounded out by Australia coach Walters to be the Kangaroos’ defence coach at this year’s World Cup.
Former Dolphins mentor Bennett gave Te’o his big break at Redcliffe in 2022 and the pair could join forces again in 2027, the year in which the 76-year-old super coach comes off-contract.
That could put Te’o in a position to succeed Bennett as head coach at Souths, the very club with whom the back-row hitman won a premiership in 2014 under Michael Maguire.
