Nathan Cleary hailed Mitchell Moses’ Origin II performance “a 10 out of 10”, admitting he was envious of some of the things the NSW No.7 was able to produce against Queensland.
Cleary was never going to return from a hamstring injury in time for the State of Origin series decider on July 17, but confirmed his likely comeback would be four days later for Penrith against the Dolphins.
He completed a series of sprint drills at close to top speed on Friday in Brisbane.
The game’s best halfback would have loved to try and help the Blues win their first Origin decider in Brisbane since 2005, but he’s backing his halfback successor, Moses, to get the job done – and had a new level of respect for the Eels No.7 after his MCG heroics.
“He knows what to do now,” Cleary said of Moses. “He’s been on that stage a few times and performed well, and that game in Melbourne was a 10 out of 10. He hadn’t played much footy beforehand, but he was forcing errors with his defence, and his kicking game was elite.
“I watched that second game at home with a few mates. It was like I was a kid again. I was sitting there thinking to myself while watching Mitch, ‘Geez, I wouldn’t mind using a few things he was doing in my own game’.
Mitchell Moses dominated in his Origin return at the MCG.Credit: NRL Photos
“When you’ve got the No.7 on your back for NSW, there is pressure. There was pressure in that game – we needed to win to keep the series alive – [but] he stood up and showed he was meant to be there. And I’m confident he’ll do it again in Brisbane.”
Moses has lost both the games he has played at the hostile Brisbane venue. Cleary’s Suncorp Origin record is one win from five games.
Nathan Cleary is set to retun from his second hamstring injury of the season against the Dolphins on July 21.Credit: Getty
Cleary predicted the decider would feature fewer stoppages and penalties, but greater line speed, which would lead to free-flowing football, something Moses would relish.
Moses got through Thursday night’s loss to South Sydney unscathed. The one player NSW coach Michael Maguire could not afford to lose for Origin III was Moses. Had he broken down, debate would have raged about whether to bring back the struggling Nicho Hynes or pair Jarome Luai and Matt Burton in the halves.
Maguire is expected to go with the same side that thumped Queensland 38-18 at the MCG when he names his side on Sunday.
Cleary has played just five games this year and broke down with a second serious hamstring injury this season in round 10. Penrith medical staff looked at specialists in the US and even Qatar in a bid to get him back on the field.
Cleary said he had spent the day in Melbourne with David Opar, the hamstring specialist who has worked with Tom Trbojevic and Kieran Foran, as well as former Origin stars Matt Moylan and Josh Reynolds, and a number of high-profile AFL players.
Opar’s simple philosophy is a “more is more approach”, which requires a player to complete a series of high-intensity sprint drills to stretch and strengthen the muscles.
“It’s been a long frustrating process, but I’ve ticked each box so far, but there are still a few final hurdles to jump,” Cleary said. “I just want to get back out there.
“I was at the point where I wanted to know more about my body and how it works. I was frustrated after the last hammy because I thought I had done all the rehab right – so it gave me a chance to see David.
“He has a cool philosophy about what should be done to best prevent soft-tissue injuries, especially hamstrings. You can never be 100 per cent sure it won’t happen again, but he gave me a few good pointers.”
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