We could take a baseball bat to him – figuratively speaking of course — and call for him to stand aside should NSW meekly surrender at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night.

But we can't. Because it's Laurie. Loz. Lozza. It would be like taking a baseball bat to a baby fur seal in a David Attenborough doco.

Daley has almost been immune to criticism in his four years as Blues coach. Breaking the Maroons' eight-year dominance in 2014 cemented his place in Origin folklore as a coach, because he'd already done so as a player and captain.

Within days of the Blues' frustrating 6-4 loss in the series opener, the ripples coming out of the NSWRL and certain sections of the media suggested his position was secure.

That's why, when you hear Daley's tactics questioned, your ears prick. It cuts against the grain.

Forget about debate over selections. That's been happening for years. The comments that cut the most came from former NSW coach and Fairfax columnist Phil Gould on Channel Nine.

Sitting on the pre-match panel before a Sunday afternoon match, the discussion turned to Origin.

Gould dismantled the Blues attack, claiming it was so limited that the only chance of scoring points was in the corners, that the attack wasn't directed back through the middle enough, and – most telling – that "Queensland could've held us out for three months".

Ouch. It was as brutally honest as a baseball bat to a baby fur seal. Fellow panelists Brad Fittler and Brett Finch could only chuckle: Three months?

When I tell Daley of Gould's criticism, he simply takes it in his stride. It was Gould who made Daley captain in 1992, a series that NSW won.

"I listen to what Gus has to say – I just don't always agree with it," Daley says. "But of course he's entitled to his opinion because he is NSW's most successful Origin coach. And he might've been right at times. But I know, going into game two, what we can do better. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and, in particular, Gus because he's such a legend in that arena."

In some respects, this isn't the response we want to hear. Tell Gus to shove it. Fire up. Get angry. That's not Daley's style.

The lack of hostility is having an effect. Can you recall a more sedate build-up to an Origin? The worrying part is the sense of inevitably, the apathy, about the Blues' chances.

The Wade Graham suspension, the Josh Morris injury, the arguments with referees, the Suncorp ghosts of game three last year, the retirement of Corey Parker, the Blues' inability to find points …

"We haven't lost 2-0 yet," Daley laughs. "We got beaten by a few points in game one in Sydney and we've got more improvement in us."

When he was appointed coach in 2012, replacing the ever-hostile Ricky Stuart, Daley wanted to play on the fact that he was considered a "dumbo" – his words, not mine. In other words, he wanted Queensland to underestimate his coaching ability.

On the surface, Daley has the chilled demeanour of a Lennox Head surfer. Behind closed doors, he's as competitive and fiery as the next mad scientist coach.

Four years ago, I was given fly-on-the-wall access when Daley was coaching the Indigenous All-Stars team. As the players huddled around for his pre-match address, his eyes flicked to high beam, just as they did when he was playing for Canberra, NSW and Australia.

"We're doing this for our people," he said angrily. "And we're doing it for one another. So when you're standing there, shoulder to shoulder, look your teammate in the eye. Don't let him down."

His side won comfortably that night. For this reporter, it gave an insight into the Lozza his former teammates and coaches tell you about.

In the ANZ Stadium dressing rooms after Origin I three weeks ago, Daley's eyes were on high beam again.

He was furious: not about his side's performance but referees Gerard Sutton and Ben Cummins, as well as NRL chief medical officer Paul Bloomfield, who allowed seemingly concussed Queensland players Justin O'Neill and Josh Papalii to stay on the field.

I was told after that match the players barely uttered a word about the officials. Daley says otherwise.

"[I was angry] because my players were that angry," he says. "I think when they put in that effort and they're disappointed with what they thought happened, I was there to support them. And I think you have to do that. I also know that we still let ourselves down in other areas. That is something that we'll address in this camp and move on from. We can't dwell on what happened."

His attack on the referees in the post-match media conference looked like a smokescreen for an inadequate performance. That he was reaching for someone to blame. Given the amount of possession and field position the Blues enjoyed in the second half, they could have won comfortably.

"What I was saying is there were decisions that we were confused with and didn't agree with – and my players were as well," Daley says. "But, at the end of the day, our execution wasn't good enough to win that game. It's not about blaming the referee for our loss."

Well, we could blame the Blues' inability to score points.

The lack of finish in game one as NSW moved from one side of the field to the other as they failed to find an opening in the defensive line before reverting to cross-field kicks that usually didn't find any target was symbolic of their attack for the past decade.

For only so long can their apologists blame a lack of attacking players. At some point, the fingers need to be pointed at Daley and his coaching staff for the way they run their attack.

On that score, Daley also has an answer.

"Historically, NSW has never scored a lot of points, even when they've had their successful periods," he says. "Mainly, they score three or four tries, which is a lot for Origin. If we can get to 18, 20 points, that should be enough in an Origin to win. That's what we're after. We all want to score more points. We create opportunities and we're not nailing them. Queensland do."

And if NSW do not, at what point does the baseball bat come out?

Those noises about Daley's position being safe have certainly dulled in the past week. He has a year to run on his present deal, but there are already murmurs that his job is far from guaranteed.

Daley knows this. He's been around football long enough to understand how it rolls.

But if it comes to that, nobody will enjoy it. He's one of the good guys.