NSW and Sydney Roosters assistant Matt King will take over as the Blues State of Origin coach following Laurie Daley’s decision earlier on Monday to stand aside.

King was Daley’s senior assistant as NSW captured the interstate series against the odds this year with a famous victory in game three at Suncorp Stadium.

The former Blues outside back was Daley’s favoured successor and has also won over the top brass at the NSW Rugby League. Sources not authorised to speak publicly on the matter confirmed the news on Monday.

King, who previously worked on Michael Maguire’s coaching staff at South Sydney, has been with the Roosters for a decade and is regarded as a future NRL head coach.

It is expected he will be handed a two-year contract with NSW.

It is unclear if King will continue full-time with the Roosters next season, but there is no rule against being an assistant at club level and an Origin coach at the same time.

Daley gave his endorsement to the 45-year-old after saying it was “just the right time” to walk away from the NSW post.

As reported by this masthead on Sunday afternoon, Daley confirmed on Monday morning via his Sky Sports’ Radio Big Sports Breakfast program he would not renew his Origin deal.

He became frustrated last week when News Corp reported that he had quit due to health concerns, which he quickly denied, but only after several family members had become concerned and contacted him.

Daley was glad he got to bow out with a series win that was sealed with a victory on Queensland soil.

“I feel like now is the right time for someone else to have the opportunity to lead this great state and this great team,” Daley said.

“It’s just the right time.

“You always have to be careful that you don’t make decisions based on emotion. You have to think things through. When we won game three, you sit back, reflect, which is why I didn’t want to make the announcement straight away.

“Over the last couple of weeks, from where I was going into the series, to where I was after the game, it hadn’t changed.

“I knew my commitment to the team was for that two-year period.

“I felt like it was the best time to leave – it was the best time to pass the baton onto someone else.”

The NSWRL was on Monday yet to comment on who would replace Daley, but it is set to announce King’s appointment by Wednesday.

Daley said King was a first-grade coach in waiting who was “ready to go”.

King has excellent communication skills, is popular with the players and has been a part of the Blues’ coaching set-up since being brought on board by Maguire for the 2024 series.

Penrith’s Ivan Cleary will finish at the Panthers at the end of 2027 and has spoken about his desire to move into coaching representative teams, but he had already ruled himself out of the NSW job for next year.

Brisbane coach Maguire was rumoured to have put his name forward, despite still being contracted to the Broncos, but NSWRL officials confirmed there had been no contact from the man who led the Blues to a come-from-behind series triumph two years ago.

The Origin series will feature a game in New Zealand for the first time in 2027.