James Tedesco: Lifting the Origin Shield 3-0 is an absolute must

Blues skipper James Tedesco admits he is dreaming about lifting the Origin shield in his exclusive column. He talks Roosters and how the Blues must finish the series.

It is a new era at the Roosters. I’m enjoying that role in being a leader for the young guys and a role model.

We’re missing a lot of guys but we’re fighting really hard. I feel like I’ m still growing as a leader. I can get better.

It’s more about enjoying the role and not letting it weigh you down too much. I’ve learnt so much from Jake Friend and Boyd Cordner but our leadership group from two years ago is all but gone.

As a young guy I wasn’t a natural leader but over the years with more maturity and experience it did come a bit naturally. Once you feel like you’re a rep player you have a responsibility.

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Blues skipper James Tedesco says winning the Origin series 3-0 would be a fitting achievement. Picture: Peter Wallis

It wasn’t like I had to step up and be a leader, I just do it in my own way.

I want to bring other guys through that have been here for a while and they can start their leadership journey. Guys like Joey Manu — he is a leader.

He is finding us voice. Others guys like Nat Butcher, Victor Radley and Angus Crichton. They were the young guys now they are the experienced players.

We are sitting pretty well at the Roosters. We’ve only spoken about the injuries once.

When we lost Luke Keary for the season we spoke about how much it sucked losing our playmaker.

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We addressed it once and that was it. We were all a bit down with we lost Brett Morris and Lindsay Collins but we didn’t address it again.

We have played some really good footy. It’s when we’ve come up against the top three or four teams is where we’ve struggled and that can be down to a lack of experience.

We’ve put up good fights but we haven’t iced the big moments.

It’s been a tough period especially though Origin but it’s not an excuse. Those guys aren’t there, we aren’t going to dwell on that.

As for Origin, the body has pulled up fine, I’m feeling pretty good and looking forward to taking on the Storm.

The result is still sinking in. As captain you feel that responsibility and ownership to make sure we’re all playing our best footy. When you’re not captain, you’re just thinking about playing your best footy.

I have been thinking about lifting the shield since before game two. It would be cool to do it 3-0 — the last time a NSW team did that was in 2000 and it was a team full of superstars.

I know a lot of the boys have already talked about how good it’ll be.

It’ll be a great feeling to win and lift the shield. In 2018 we lost game three but had already won the series so lifting the shield after a loss wasn’t as good as it can be.

We don’t want that to happen.

James Tedesco says losing Brett Morris was tough.

If Nathan Cleary isn’t going to play it will be a blow as he is our main man. I haven’t thought too much about who would be in contention to replace him. I’m best mates with Mitch Moses so it would be cool if he got a call-up. We’ve had Jack Wighton on our bench too so he might come into the halves with Jarome Luai.

Moses’ blunt message to Fittler in race for Cleary job

Parramatta halfback Mitchell Moses has declared he is ready to wear the NSW No. 7 jumper with Nathan Cleary to miss game three as his season hangs by a thread.

While initial scans are yet to reveal the full extent of Cleary’s shoulder injury, which was suffered in Sunday night’s Origin II win, Blues coach Brad Fittler has all but ruled out the Penrith playmaker for game three on July 14.

“You would like to think (I'm ready for Origin). If I wasn't ready by now I would be kidding myself I guess,” Moses said.

“To potentially to be a part of it, it would be a dream come true but my focus is on Parramatta at the moment.”

Moses will get an Origin audition in front of Fittler against a Panthers side minus Cleary on Friday night.

Mitchell Moses is ready to step up into the Origin arena. Picture: Getty Images

After helping the Blues orchestrate back-to-back wins against Queensland, Cleary, who played through 70 minutes of pain at Suncorp Stadium, is awaiting the result of scans but there are fears his season could be over.

Penrith medical staff have been unable to fully assess Cleary, who is still in isolation awaiting Covid results.

Fittler has a number of options to replace Cleary, like shifting Jarome Luai to halfback with Jack Wighton coming in at No. 6 or even South Sydney halfback Adam Reynolds.

But Moses, who is having one of his best seasons in the NRL since making his debut for the Wests Tigers in 2014, has more than one ace up his sleeve in the race to the NSW halfback spot.

As well as the confidence to do the job, Moses has credited Immortal Andrew Johns as the reason behind his career-defining form in 2021.

Johns is also a NSW assistant coach to Fittler.

“Joey [Johns] has done a lot for me and really helped my game out this year when to run, when to kick, when to pass, when to slow down a game. I think that’s where I have grown a bit more,” Moses said.

“I feel like I’m in a bit more control of my game at the moment, just controlling the boys, getting the boys around the park and picking my times of when to inject myself into games and getting a good level in my game.”

Also working in Moses’ favour is the strong connection he has with Fittler.

“He coached me in that World Cup side (2017) when I was playing for Lebanon and I got on with him pretty well. I loved playing underneath him, he was massive for my game back then. He’s a good operator and what he has done with the Blues this year, you can see the footy that they are playing is unbelievable. They are all on the same page and it’s a credit to him,” Moses said.

Nathan Cleary could be out for an extended period with a shoulder injury. Picture: Getty Images

“They are playing with a lot energy and everyone knows their role and everyone was in sync. It looked like a team that has been training all year together.”

Matt Burton moves from the centres to five-eighth to partner Luai in the halves for Friday night’s ‘battle of the West’ against Parramatta.

Eels forward Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who was at Penrith when Burton was coming through the ranks, knows the Dubbo junior is a formidable replacement for Cleary.

But Campbell-Gillard has backed Moses to not only get the job done against their fierce rivals but also for the Blues, as NSW aim for a series whitewash.

“I believe Mitch has been one of the best halves this year and I’m sure he’ll do a fantastic job if he gets that opportunity and I back him to fill in that number seven position,” Campbell-Gillard said.

How winged Cleary plans to beat season-ending surgery

Specialists, strapping and courage could save the Panthers’ season with Penrith star Nathan Cleary set to do everything in his power to avoid having season-ending shoulder surgery.

In a selfless act of club before body, Cleary has told Penrith officials he is willing to play out the remainder of the year in pain after scans revealed he suffered a tear to his labrum when he partially dislocated his shoulder during NSW’s series-clinching State of Origin win in game two.

Cleary will seek medical advice from some of Sydney’s leading shoulder surgeons, while the Panthers will get their first chance to assess their playmaking star on Wednesday after the halfback was forced into isolation because of Covid protocols.

“Hopefully it is no too bad and we can nurse him through it,” Panthers chief executive Brian Fletcher said on Tuesday.

“He is going to see a couple of doctors who deal with that part of the body and see what the best result is. We just have to wait and see, fingers crossed.”

The best result for the Panthers would be that Cleary sits out a few weeks and is then able to carry the problem through the remainder of the year.

Nathan Cleary has not named in Penrith’s team to face Parramatta on Friday night.

If Cleary is ruled out for the year, the Panthers would be entitled to salary dispensation because he was injured in a representative game. However, they already have depth in the halves to mitigate his absence.

Cleary was not named in Penrith’s team to face Parramatta at Bluebet Stadium on Friday, with Matt Burton and Jarome Luai to form a new-look halves combination.

Locked in a battle with the Storm for the minor premiership, the Panthers could be without Cleary for an extended stint even if surgery is postponed until the end of the season.

But rehabilitation, strapping and painkillers could get the star No. 7 back on the field.

Having already led NSW to a record Origin victory while battered, bruised and bloodied, Cleary reaffirmed his toughness by playing 70 minutes of game two with the shoulder tear.

He suffered the injury in just the 10th minute when he fell after making a break.

In a blow to NSW, Brad Fittler has already conceded he will be without Cleary for game three as the Blues attempt to whitewash the Maroons.

“It’s looking pretty unlikely that he’ll play,” Fittler said.

Cleary suffered the serious shoulder injury in the 10th minute of Origin II when he fell making a break.

“He went down pretty hard on his shoulder Nathan. We’re just sort of hoping that everything will be good enough that he’ll be back fighting for the Panthers soon enough.

“He’s had a great start to the season, and he’s under a lot of pressure, but he more than stood up on the big stage.”

Cleary’s Origin omission could create a selection headache for Fittler with the injury to leave him without a specialist No.7.

While Jack Wighton and Cody Walker have both proven themselves on the Origin stage, choosing a running five-eighth to play alongside Jarome Luai could leave NSW short when it comes to organisation and kicking.

Both Adam Reynolds and Mitchell Moses are expected to come into contention should Fittler choose to blood a Blue.