Matt Ballin has his long-term sights on a head NRL coaching role as he prepares for his first Queensland camp this weekend in his new role as assistant coach.
Ballin will replace Cameron Smith this season under head coach Billy Slater after the Maroons legend stepped down following two winning series to concentrate on coaching the Currumbin Eagles at grassroots level.
The 40-year-old Ballin is also Brisbane assistant coach under Kevin Walters, who has given his blessing for Ballin to juggle both roles.
The 2008 and 2011 premiership winner, who coached the Queensland U19s last year, has learned plenty in his assistant stints at NRL level with dual premiership-winning coach Des Hasler a major early influence.
"I have been coaching now for seven years since I finished playing and the goal for me is to be a head coach," Ballin said.
"I have done time at Manly under Des Hasler and Kevvie Walters has been great here at the Broncos.
"I am learning different things all the time and to do an Origin series is another string to the bow. I am in no hurry to be a head coach. I want to do it but I have a lot of learning to do."
The Kingaroy-raised Ballin, who played one Origin game at hooker in 2010 for Queensland when Smith was unavailable, had a chuckle when asked if he was daunted by the big shoes to fill.
"Not really. It was exactly the same in my playing days. He was always in front of me as a player and always in front of me as a coach," he grinned.
"I guess it goes back to when I was playing and Mal Meninga was the coach. He said, 'You haven’t been picked to be Cameron Smith. You’ve been picked to be Matt Ballin'.
"I will be doing the same when I coach. I will do the best job I can and I am sure that will be enough for Queensland."
The Maroons have won the past two series with Ballin involved in camps with the players.
He said he would be working with the Maroons forwards, as Smith did in his stint.
"It has only happened quite quickly. We will go into camp this weekend (in Brisbane) and formalise all the details of what my role will be," he said.
Ballin said he was not surprised that Walters, who was a Maroons assistant and head coach previously, backed him taking the new gig.
He was showing Walters something on his phone on Wednesday when Slater’s number flashed up.
"I said, 'I will take that later'. Kevvie said, 'You need to take that now’. He had obviously known. Billy had spoken to him," Ballin said.
"Kevvie was really happy because he wants us to go away and learn from great coaches and players and come back here to the Broncos and make the club better."
