Luai answers Blues’ SOS call for State of Origin II

Jasper Bruce | June 12, 2025

Jarome Luai has vowed to repay NSW’s faith after history repeated itself in State of Origin camp, with the Blues again forced to call upon a player they had initially dumped in pursuit of a series win.

Mitch Moses strained his calf at Thursday’s training session in the Blue Mountains, leaving the Blues to rule their first-choice five-eighth out of the second Origin match to be played in Perth.

Wests Tigers co-captain Luai, who had been overlooked for Moses in the game one win, was contacted by coach Laurie Daley and team performance manager Frank Ponissi shortly thereafter.

Five-eighth for last year’s series win, Luai heeded the Blues’ distress call and will reunite with former Penrith teammate Nathan Cleary in the halves for his 11th Origin cap on Wednesday.

“I’ve done the work, I’ve been here before. I know what it takes,” Luai said on arrival at the team hotel in Leura on Thursday night.

“We’ve got a good squad so I just need to do my job and give the other boys confidence as well.”

It marks the second time in as many series NSW have been forced to lean on a key player they initially rejected, having called fullback James Tedesco in at similarly late notice for last year’s series opener.

Tedesco was dropped from the team once Dylan Edwards recovered from injury for Origin II last year.

But Luai said he was not yet considering his selection prospects should Moses be fit in time for Origin III.

“I’m not worried about what’s next. I’m worried about the present moment,” he said.

“I’m really excited and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I know there were a few options they could’ve went with but I’ll make sure I repay that faith.”

The NRL has already granted the Blues an exemption to bring Luai into the team from outside the 20-man squad Daley had named on Tuesday.

Daley defended the Blues’ call to pick Luai ahead of Canterbury five-eighth Matt Burton, who was already in camp as replacement player.

The coach said the chance to reignite Luai and Cleary’s combination, which won four premierships at the Panthers, was too good to refuse.

“Back playing together, there’d be an energy and a synergy there,” Daley said.

“(Luai) played there last year, has got a good combination with Nathan and he’s that left-side player.

“He’ll do a fine job.”

Burton’s ability to cover the outside backs and halves has made him a favoured choice for NSW’s replacement role, which he is filling for the fifth time in eight Origin games.

“(Burton) would be disappointed, you’d want him to be disappointed, but he gives us a bit more versatility in that 18th-man role,” Daley said.

“He can play a few more positions. I just think Jarome and Nathan’s combination, they’ve had so much success.”

Queensland are wary of the dangers posed by the Cleary-Luai combination, first forged a decade ago in Penrith’s junior system.

“They’ve played all their footy together at the Panthers. When it comes to Origin football they’ll be a dangerous threat,” said winger Xavier Coates.

Daley was impressed by Luai’s attitude after he was overlooked for game one and felt he would respond to the pressures of a last-minute call-up with similar positivity.

“Luai handled it (the initial rejection) with such class and he said if I needed him, he’d be ready to go,” Daley said.

“So when I rang him, he said, ‘Sweet, I’m ready to go’. That filled me with confidence.

“I don’t think anything fazes Jarome. He’s always up for a challenge and the bigger the challenge, the better he goes.”