The issue facing Walters over 'coach whisperer' and why new-age methods aren't new

Queensland coach Kevin Walters may have first met the self-proclaimed "coach whisperer", Bradley Charles Stubbs, in the South Sydney dressing rooms during the 2015 season.

Walters was a guest of then Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire, who Stubbs says sent a text referral on his behalf to Wallabies mentor Michael Cheika ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Souths officials are furious about claims by Stubbs that he was Maguire's "secret weapon" in the club's 2014 premiership triumph.

They are also angered that he says on his website: "After winning the 2014 NRL premiership, we then went on to win the 2015 Auckland 9s and the 2015 World Club Challenge".

The Rabbitohs say Maguire and the players won those titles – not Stubbs.

The reaction at Redfern towards Stubbs highlights a potential issue facing Walters after engaging him for this year's State of Origin campaign – if the Maroons lose it will be Walters' fault, but if they win will he get the credit?

The involvement of Stubbs has dominated media coverage in Queensland during the build-up to Wednesday night's Origin series opener at Suncorp Stadium, and demonstrates the lengths teams and coaches are now reaching for to gain an edge.

NSW coach Brad Fittler has embraced "earthing" and requires his players to walk bare-foot around the field after each training session, while breathing coach Nam Baldwin has been working with the Blues.

In the Queensland camp, Maroons players have been banned from referring to the opposition as NSW or the Blues.

This is similar to Cheika referring to the All Blacks only as New Zealand and Socceroos coach Graham Arnold calling Melbourne Victory simply Melbourne during the 2016-17 A-League season, in which he took Sydney FC to grand final glory.

Arnold is understood to have referred Stubbs to Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson before last year's Telstra Premiership winning season.

At the Rabbitohs, players were also instructed that they were not to use certain words, such as "hope", "want" and "tough", with media interviews scrutinised to determine if any fines were warranted. The penalty for each utterance was $10.

Queensland players are also facing fines but sceptics question whether or not being able to mention the Blues by name is of any benefit to the Maroons if they have to think about words they can't say.

Those who have met Stubbs describe him as intense and say he is usually seeking an introduction to other coaches.

However, supporters of Stubbs say that coaches and players can take as little or as much as they want from his "expect to win" philosophy.

The idea of a "coach whisperer" or personal advisor for Origin coaches is not new as Craig Bellamy used life coach, John Di Stefano, when he was in charge of NSW, as well as at Melbourne Storm.

Di Stefano has also worked with former Carlton AFL coach Brett Ratten and recently departed Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat.

Much of Di Stefano's advice centres around words the coaches should and shouldn't be highlighting to their players or the media.

Manly coach Des Hasler worked with mind coach John Novak during his previous premiership-winning stint with the Sea Eagles before the pair left for Canterbury in 2012, where Novak assumed the role of Head of Mind Management until 2017.

Novak, who was once the face of aerobics in Australia and also defeated Dolph Ludgren (‘Drago' in Rocky 4) at a karate tournament, was involved in two grand finals and a minor premiership during Hasler's tenure at the Bulldogs.