State of Origin 2018: Blues halfback Nathan Cleary on training with “unbelievable” Andrew Johns
ONLY a few days ago, Nathan Cleary was watching old Origin footage on YouTube. On Thursday, the NSW playmaker was in a dream swapping notes with the Blues’ greatest halfback.
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ONLY a few days ago, Blues boy wonder Nathan Cleary was watching old Origin footage of Andrew Johns on YouTube.
On Thursday, the gun NSW playmaker was swapping notes with the Blues’ greatest halfback.
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“I still watch his (Johns) highlights now and so to be learning off him, is pretty unbelievable,’’ Cleary smiled.
“I never thought this day would come.’’
Johns’ touch of class will be sprinkled all over the Blues’ halves on Wednesday night at the MCG after rugby league’s eighth Immortal got hands-on for the first time with Cleary and five-eighth James Maloney.
The Sydney Olympic Park tutorial was a dream come true for the younger Cleary, who in recent days has turned to watching replays of Johns’ famous 2005 Origin comeback for NSW, as a source of inspiration.
Cleary was 7 when Johns tore Queensland apart in the 2005 Origin II master class.
“That’s probably my favourite game I’ve ever watched,’’ Cleary said.
“I only watched it the other day, I looked it up on YouTube. It’s unbelievable.
“As a half you want to watch the best players and he was obviously the best. What he did in that game was crazy.
“He was absolutely on fire and hopefully I can try and replicate that as best I can.’’
Cleary, 20, said he had spent Tuesday night talking to Johns in camp Coogee before bedding down in the Blues’ attack alongside Maloney at training.
“That’s the first session I’ve had with Joey (Johns),’’ Cleary said.
“We had a bit of a chat and I’m going to try and work pretty closely with him.
“We went through the attack and he said he was going to have a few more meetings with me, just to let me know what it’s (Origin) all about.
“I’m really grateful for that and I can’t wait.’’
Asked if he found Johns’ ability to communicate his genie-like ability easy to take in, Cleary said: “He’s a bit different how he does it, but I understand him pretty well.
“I know where he’s coming from.
“He’s just so smart and knows exactly what’s happening and what the defenders are going to do. “So to be working with him, it’s pretty amazing.’’
Maloney said that despite his obvious advance in Origin experience over Cleary, he too was eagerly absorbing Johns’ input.
“He (Johns) has a very good footy brain,’’ Maloney said.
“He is doing a lot of work with me and Nath — just different ideas and how we want to attack them (Queensland).
“It’s obviously nice to have a bloke like that to bounce ideas off and talk footy with.’’