‘I get tingles’: NSW halves on cusp of cementing legacy
Jasper Bruce and Scott Bailey |
It’s enough to send tingles up Jarome Luai’s spine.
Some nine months on from his “last ride” with Nathan Cleary at Penrith, Luai and his old partner in crime join forces for a chance to cement their State of Origin legacy.
Wednesday’s decider is uncharted waters for the NSW halves, who won four premierships alongside each other at Penrith but have never featured together in a victorious game-three decider.
Luai says in some respects Sydney’s first Origin decider since 2019 is bigger than a grand final.
“The rivalry I think is a lot stronger than two teams in the NRL,” said five-eighth Luai.
“You’re playing for a lot more people and for their pride, for their upbringing, for their childhood. It’s pretty massive.
“We’ve just got to do our job, put that scale aside and be present in the moment.”
Cleary and Luai had less than a week to reignite their chemistry in the lead-up to the tight Origin II loss, with the five-eighth only coming in late to replace the injured Mitch Moses.
But with a full training camp under their belt, the duo’s long-standing connection will go a long way to deciding Wednesday’s hotly-anticipated match at Accor Stadium.
“I get tingles (thinking) about it, being back with a lot of guys that I’ve had a lot of success with,” Luai said.
“But I think it’s all about putting that away now and focusing on what we can do next.”
It’s a frightening prospect for Queensland that the always confident Luai is expecting the halves’ self-belief will rise following a full camp spent together.
“Everyone would say the more prep you have, the more reps you get in the bank, the more confidence you have from your training. Basically it’s just more confidence in the bank” he said.
Cleary will enter rarefied air running onto Accor Stadium, passing Mitchell Pearce and Andrew Johns to become NSW’s most-capped halfback.
The Panthers co-captain would almost certainly have reached the 17-game milestone sooner had injury not precluded him from selection in five of the six Origin games played in 2023 and 2024.
“It’s a big achievement obviously,” said Panthers coach and father Ivan Cleary. “But he’d be more interested in just playing well. Let’s hope he does.”
NSW great Brett Kimmorley said for Cleary and Luai’s four-time NRL premiership-winning combination to flourish, their teammates needed to lift for Origin III.
The Blues were left to rue conceding eight unanswered penalties falling behind 26-6 at half-time of the two-point loss in Origin II.
“For the halves to be able to control the game and build some pressure, it certainly comes from a high completion rate and a low penalty count against you,” former Blues half and DrinkWise ambassador Kimmorley told AAP.
“I would expect game three will be a lot better, a lot more desperation, they’ll be looking forward to having a bigger game.”
AAP
