Laurie Daley believes Nathan Cleary is being unfairly judged for his State of Origin record, arguing that the NSW Blues' fortunes do not rest solely on the halfback's shoulders. Cleary will play his 18th Origin game on Wednesday night at Sydney Accor Stadium, with the pressure mounting after halves partner Mitchell Moses was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The 29-year-old will be expected to handle the majority of the Blues' kicking duties alongside rookie Origin five-eighth Ethan Strange, who is not known for a booming boot, giving Queensland an easy focal point to defend. Cleary, the Blues' most-capped No. 7 of all time, has been peerless at NRL level in crunch games over the last six years of Penrith's dominance. However, there is a widely held view that the Australian international has failed to translate his club form into Origin, with many critics claiming he has yet to 'own' a series.
'That's the storyline around Origin and Nathan, but I don't see it like that,' said Daley. 'I think that for us to have success it has to be a team performance. If we're relying on Nathan Cleary to go out and get man of the match, then we're kidding ourselves. We've got to rely on 17 guys to be able to work hard for each other and we all share the wins, we share the losses, we share every moment. I don't see it like Nathan has to own Origin. He's won man of the matches, he's been a part of winning Origin series before. It's a big game for everyone.'
Cleary has a 47 per cent winning record at Origin level with an 8-9 record across seven series, but has failed to win all three game-three deciders during his career. For context, Blues great Andrew Johns had a 56 per cent winning rate but didn't play halfback in a series-winning NSW team until his 20th appearance of his 23-game Origin career.
Cleary has been in fine touch this season and sat atop the Dally M leaderboard before it went behind closed doors. Blues captain Isaah Yeo claimed the halfback has been able to add a new attacking dimension to his game as a result of rule changes. 'It's been a little bit different just in regards to six-agains and momentum and I just feel like he's been really grabbing those moments. He's sitting at the top of the Dally M leaderboard probably because of that. I think he's probably adjusted quicker than any other half in the competition and it's probably suited him and his strengths. At club level, he's been outstanding and he's going to do a wonderful job … he's certainly in some good form that's for sure.'
