Graham Lowe: I ordered the hit on my skipper

When you decide to take on a coaching job, particularly at NRL or Origin level, you go in with many hopes and dreams.

To be a good coach you need to endure a few nightmares as well, and most coaches I've come up against know that all too well.

Some of the toughest moments come when making the really hard calls that you know will have considerable impact on not only your own future, but that of your players as well.

Embattled Knights and Queensland State of Origin coach Michael Hagan is faced with exactly the same dilemma I faced as coach of Manly and Queensland.

Andrew Johns is the best player in Hagan's Knights outfit, and the only player in his club capable of fighting off the dreaded wooden spoon.

His remarkable return to representative football for NSW, and the dominance he displayed in their victory in this year's State of Origin 2, will go down in Origin folklore, as it was nothing short of spectacular.

It was highly likely that without Johns, NSW would not have won the crucial game and levelled the series.

Johns is good enough to perform the same miracles in the deciding third match on Wednesday, and Hagan would be more aware of that than anyone, as he is his club coach.

If Johns was targeted early on in the game by some committed defence, his life could be made a misery, or even better if you are in the Queensland camp, a tough enough knock early in the match could put him out.

The dilemma facing Hagan is: Does he get the Maroons to just try to outplay NSW or does he come up with a plan that includes trying to deal to his Knights champion.

If he chooses the second option he runs the risk of losing the mercurial player for a few club games as well, and who knows, even a friendship.

Great players are hard to nail. But it can be done, and Origin football is the arena that brings out this type of action. Make no mistake, champion Queensland five-eight Darren Lockyer will be harassed the same way by NSW.

I was faced with a similar scenario when I coached the Queensland Origin side in 1991 and to this day I'm not sure if I am proud or ashamed of the plan I decided on.

Michael O'Connor was my captain at Manly and was in the best form of his career. He carried that form into the Origin series for NSW and was the obvious danger to contain, not only with his sensational form out in the centres, but also with his deadly goalkicking.

We went into the deciding third match at Lang Park knowing that O'Connor, a good mate of mine as well as my club captain, was the key player NSW could not replace.

At the time he was regarded as the best centre in the world, probably in union as well as league - he was a dual international.

Trying to come up with the answer that would give us a win was one of the most harrowing times I ever had as a coach and I suspect Hagan is going through the same mental torture.

I made the decision that O'Connor should be taken out of the game in the opening minutes, and a mighty hit by our centre, big Mal Meninga, did just that.

O'Connor was taken from the field with a very serious face injury and could not complete the game. We went on to win by just two points. This may not have happened if Michael had played the full match and did the goalkicking for NSW.

Queensland went into party mode after that series win but I was left with trying to resurrect my relationship with O'Connor, which incidentally was never the same.

As I said, I'm not sure if I am proud or ashamed of the action I motivated, but we did win the series.

Origin gained its fiery reputation by the uncompromising actions of the players and the way they were prepared to sacrifice club team-mates who wore the opposing state's jersey.

But there are also a few questionable actions that have been prompted by coaches in both camps who have been prepared to do anything to help win a series.

That story may sound unsavoury to some but it is what Origin football is all about and how important it is to win, to all involved.

Hagan will have every Queensland fan and his dog telling him he needs to get Johns taken out of the game as quickly as possible, but he also knows that Johns is the only Knights player who is capable of saving his NRL coaching reputation.

The academics who have infiltrated sport will be up in arms at my suggestions but that is only because they could never in a million years understand what this competition means.

When you compete at this level if you don't have the stomach for it you don't survive. It's something you can't learn in books.

In the toughest game of all sometimes blood gets spilled intentionally. But in saying that, you can also expect to see players from both camps enjoying a few beers together after the battle.