Kevin Walters has quietly climbed the ranks of successful Queensland Origin coaches, now positioned fourth behind Mal Meninga, Arthur Beetson and Wayne Bennett.
Victory in the third match of this year's series moved Walters to 5 wins in the Origin arena from 9 matches.
That statistic edged him past Paul 'Fatty' Vautin, who had 4 wins in his three series as Maroons mentor.
While following on from the dominant Mal Meninga era (22 wins, 11 losses) was never going to be easy in comparison, Walters has more wins as an Origin coach than some of the game's most revered masterminds.
Jack Gibson, Craig Bellamy, Frank Stanton and Tim Sheens all had two or fewer wins as Origin coaches, despite fabled records at club level.
Indeed, Walters' 5 wins places him equal or ahead of all New South Wales coaches other than Phil Gould (14 wins) and Laurie Daley (6 wins).
Longevity will be the key to Walters moving up the ranks further among Queensland coaches, with a significant gap to Beetson and Bennett (11 wins each).
WINNING RECORDS OF STATE OF ORIGIN COACHES
Name State Won-Lost-Drawn Win %
Mal Meninga QLD 22-11-0 66.67%
Phil Gould NSW 14-9-1 58.33%
Arthur Beetson QLD 11-5-0 68.75%
Wayne Bennett QLD 11-9-1 52.38%
Laurie Daley NSW 6-9-0 40%
Wayne Pearce NSW 5-3-1 55.55%
Kevin Walters QLD 5-4-0 55.55%
Ron Willey NSW 4-2-0 66.67%
Paul Vautin QLD 4-5-0 44.44%
Ricky Stuart NSW 4-5-0 44.44%
Graham Lowe QLD 3-3-0 50%
Tom Raudonikis NSW 3-3-0 50%
Brad Fittler NSW 2-1-0 66.67%
Terry Fearnley NSW 2-1-0 66.67%
Wally Lewis QLD 2-4-0 33.33%
Michael Hagan QLD 2-4-0 33.33%
Frank Stanton NSW 2-4-0 33.33%
Jack Gibson NSW 2-4-0 33.33%
Graham Murray NSW 2-4-0 33.33%
Craig Bellamy NSW 2-7-0 22.22%
John McDonald QLD 1-0-0 100%
Des Morris QLD 1-2-0 33.33%
Tim Sheens NSW 1-2-0 33.33%
Ted Glossop NSW 1-4-0 20%
Mark Murray QLD 1-4-1 16.67%
John Peard NSW 0-3-0 0%
• Results exclude 1987 exhibition State of Origin in Los Angeles
