Nathan Cleary appears to be a lock for Laurie Daley for the Origin series.
Eels coach Jason Ryles has gone in to bat for halfback Mitchell Moses after suggestions from NRL supremo Phil Gould he might not gel with Nathan Cleary in Origin. NSW coach Laurie Daley is set to choose between Moses and Wests Tigers playmaker Jarome Luai for the No.6 jersey in the 2025 State of Origin series.
Last year Moses and Luai combined brilliantly and won Game 2 and 3 to bring the shield back to NSW. Daley reportedly has deemed Cleary as a selection lock this year, which means Moses and Luai will duel it out for the final position in the coming weeks.
Moses was out injured with a foot injury for the beginning part of this season, but returned and has been in strong form in his two appearances. And off the back of his brilliant Game 2 and 3 last year, Moses is favoured to win the battle.
Although not everyone believes Moses and Cleary will gel. Former NSW coach Gould says he does not believe the Cleary-Moses combination would work because they both like to operate on the same side of the field. “I think it’s either Cleary and Luai or it’s Moses and Luai, which is a big call to make,” Gould said. “I don’t attest to the theory that you can play them both – that would be too clunky.”
Jason Ryles shuts down Phil Gould concern
But Eels coach Ryles has move to shut down Gould’s concern. Speaking ahead of the Eels’ clash with the Dolphins, Ryles backed Moses to have an instant impact with NSW like he did when he returned for his struggling Parramatta side.
“I think Mitchell (Moses) would be happy to play wherever they put him in a representative team,” Ryles said on Wednesday. “I think it means a fair bit to him so I don’t think it would be an issue if he was selected there.” Moses played arguably the game of his career in Game 2 of the series in 2024, before leading NSW to victory at Suncorp to clinch the series.
Moses is believed to be slightly ahead of Luai in the selection race, despite Cleary’s partnership with the former Panthers player. Since Luai has joined the Tigers he has worn the no.7 jersey as he takes on a new role. Although few would doubt he would quickly find his feet again with Cleary if given the chance to wear the sky blue.
Laurie Daley backs Mitchell Moses if selected in Origin
And similar to Ryles, coach Daley has already praised Moses’ ability to fill in wherever he may need him and claimed there were no fears about his partnership with Cleary. Daley dismissed Gould’s concerns when asked if he had reservations about selecting two halfbacks together.
Absolutely none,” Daley said on Sky’s Big Sports Breakfast last week. “It’s going to be a tough conversation, whoever misses out, you know. It’s going to be tough, regardless of who it is. We have got some really high class halves to choose from.
The halves isn’t the only dilemma Daley is facing. Incumbent winger Zac Lomax broke a bone in his foot after round five and hasn’t featured for the Eels since the win over the Dragons. While Ryles said that Lomax was nearing a return, it wouldn’t be against the Dolphins on Thursday night. This will leave Lomax with one game to impress Daley ahead of Origin selection.
Incumbent fullback Dylan Edwards is also facing massive pressure to keep his jersey after former captain James Tedesco put together a stellar run of form in the NRL. Edwards only recently returned from injury and is working his way back to his best with a strong display against the Broncos during Magic Round. Working in Edwards’ favour is his combination with Cleary. Daley is likely to lean on the Panthers combinations in Game 1, which should see Edwards line-up in the No.1 Blues jersey at Suncorp.
