Luke Keary already in State of Origin frame for NSW

He missed NSW’s State of Origin triumph last season but Luke Keary’s Clive Churchill Medal-winning heroics in the NRL grand final has the Roosters five-eighth firmly in Brad Fittler’s mind.

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Luke Keary’s grand final heroics have put pressure on the incumbent NSW halves, James Maloney and Nathan Cleary, to retain their jerseys, according to Blues coach Brad Fittler.

Keary was an unlucky omission from last year’s successful series triumph over Queensland.

The Sydney Roosters five-eighth was naturally shattered to miss out but in a show of strength he used the setback to become better.

Keary led the Roosters to the premiership with a masterclass performance against Melbourne to collect the Clive Churchill Medal.

Keary’s GF performance showed his value. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Fittler has been impressed with the former Rabbitoh’s resolve, saying he will be seriously considered for an Origin debut this season.

“Absolutely, he (Luke) was in the mix last year,” Fittler said.

“We need the current players to feel a bit of pressure and how they react to that helps them go to the next level.

“That pressure is the one thing Queensland has had for a long time.

“Our players did a really good job of that last year. The players at Penrith, the Roosters and the Dragons, for example, all played at a brilliant level.

“We need that again because depth is what improves the standard.”

Blues assistant coach Danny Buderus is also a huge fan of Keary.

Buderus believes the Roosters playmaker perfectly fits the culture NSW are trying to build at Origin level.

“Luke’s year he had last season along with a lot of those Roosters boys was great,” Buderus said.

“He has put his hand up for all sorts of things, including the state level.

“Luke is someone who is at that perfect age and I’m sure his form will be great again because he trains really well, he communicates really well and he has good values as a person.

“That is one thing we are trying to place as high as we can here at NSW — is values and Luke Keary definitely displays that.”

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