Perhaps no match in any sport reveals a player’s character more than State of Origin.
9News and Sydney Morning Herald reporter Michael Chammas believes Michael Ennis’ name has emerged as a potential ‘left field’ candidate to take over as Parramatta coach.
It’s why Maguire has had Cameron McInnes front of mind for weeks,why Jake Trbojevic will take on a greater leadership role ... and why Jarome Luai could be the perfect fit to step up and fill NSW’s cursed halfback role – if he needs to. Nicho Hynes will start camp as the Blues halfback,but is no guarantee to make the start line as he begins camp on restricted duties with a calf problem.
The spotlight always shines bright on the Blues No.7,no matter whose body is squeezed into today’s skintight jerseys.
Some have worn it heavier than others.
Perhaps no one has really filled it comfortably since Andrew Johns was tearing Queensland apart almost 20 years ago,before the Mal Meninga-led dynasty plunged NSW fans into eight years of darkness. And that includes Nathan Cleary,who was a potential Immortal-in-waiting but hasn’t yet dominated at Origin level.
Jarome Luai was in dominant form in the Panthers’ 42-0 demolition of Cronulla on Saturday.Getty
None of that history will faze Luai if Hynes doesn’t recover from a calf problem to take his place in game one. Not much of anything fazes Luai.
In Origin,nothing is straightforward. A few weeks ago,he was going to be lucky to make the team in his preferred position of five-eighth.
But since then,Cleary has gone down with a hamstring injury,Mitchell Moses hasn’t come back from his broken foot,and Hynes has limped towards game one with a niggling calf problem.
On Saturday night,Maguire sat in the stands at PointsBet Stadium to watch Luai’s showdown with Hynes and the ladder-leading Sharks. Of the handful of Origin hopefuls,he wanted to see who would run towards the fire.
Hynes fluffed two kicks out on the full as his teammates struggled to cope with a Penrith onslaught,then didn’t return from a concussion test owing to calf tightness. It was a rare blip on an outstanding season so far. Luai,meanwhile,put on a clinic in halfback dominance,leading the Panthers to a 42–0 drubbing,silencing a boisterous crowd.
Afterwards,,and part of the reason was because he wanted to play Origin because the jersey will allow his name on his back (NRL club jerseys only have numbers).
An Origin halfback has to believe they’re the best player on the field. And belief is a quality Luai has never lacked.
Potential opposite number Daly Cherry-Evans provides a relevant case study for Luai. The Manly skipper was once a player who divided his own state,having backflipped on a deal to join the Gold Coast Titans. Now,though,after years of exceptional Origin performances and triumphs,Cherry-Evans could have his own ticker tape parade down Caxton Street.
Luai might never turn the tide of public opinion like Cherry-Evans did. If Hynes loses his fitness battle,the state’s reaction to Luai being NSW’s main man instead of a support act to Cleary will be fascinating. But he will have no problembelieving he should be running NSW in game one,and that’s all Maguire really cares about.
Luai’s kicking game,so crucial to any Origin success,has improved vastly this year. And,importantly,he has seemingly found the secret of knowing when to manage a game and when to attack it with a left-foot step and a surge.
With both states so depleted by injuries heading into this year’s series,Maguire and Maroons coach Billy Slater know it will be a battle of wills.
When he dislocated his shoulder on the eve of the finals last year,Luai refused to accept the injury would end his season. He made it back for the grand final qualifier. Phil Gould couldn’t believe it. To most,it was a medical miracle.
A couple of months later,he decided on a career change because,in part,he wanted to be the main man at a club.
Luai will try for another miracle in lifting the Tigers away from the NRL cellar starting in 2025.
When Shane Richardson was putting the finishing touches on the deal to bring Luai to the Tigers from next year,he asked Luai what really motivated him.
“It’s all about the rings,Richo,” Luai responded. “It’s all about the rings.”
Trying to lead the Tigers to premiership? As Maguire knows all too well,that’s running towards the fire.
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