NSW coach Chris Minns deleted a social media post after a mistake as State of Origin Game One approaches. Laurie Daley defended Nathan Cleary amid criticism that the halfback hasn’t “owned” Origin, with Mitchell Moses ruled out and Cleary set for his 18th matc
When Tuesday arrived with Origin nerves already humming, NSW Premier Chris Minns made one quiet move that still landed loudly online: he deleted a social media post after a mistake.
The timing mattered, because the spotlight on the Blues is shifting back to their halves. Nathan Cleary will play his 18th State of Origin game on Wednesday night at Sydney Accor Stadium. but the pressure turns up on the halfback on Tuesday after his halves partner Mitchell Moses was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Cleary enters the series as NSW’s most-capped No.7 of all time. and his NRL form over the last six years of Penrith’s dominance has been described as peerless in crunch games. Yet his Origin record remains a different conversation. Critics argue the Australian international has not translated his club heat into series impact. with a common line that he has yet to “own” a series.
Laurie Daley pushed back on that framing. He believes Nathan Cleary is unfairly judged for his State of Origin record. and he argues NSW’s fortunes don’t rest on just one player. Daley pointed to the wider measure of the No.7’s influence in the interstate arena. citing a 47 per cent winning record for the No.7 across the series.
“The storyline around Origin and Nathan, but I don’t see it like that,” Daley said.
He didn’t stop there. In his view, the criticism gets the responsibility wrong.
“If we’re relying on Nathan Cleary to go out and get man of the match, then we’re kidding ourselves.”
There’s a simple tension running through the build-up: Cleary is the undeniable big-game performer at club level. but Origin history has kept the question of who carries the weight alive. With Moses sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Blues will need more than one familiar heartbeat in the halves room.
Daley’s message landed with clarity against the noise. “I think that for us to have success it has to be a team performance,” he said.
State of Origin NSW Chris Minns Nathan Cleary Mitchell Moses Laurie Daley Sydney Accor Stadium hamstring injury NRL Game One live
So he deleted the post?? Sounds like coaching by panic. Origin about vibes apparently.
I mean Cleary is literally the most capped No.7 ever or whatever, why are people acting like he’s not clutch in Origin? Maybe the whole thing is just clickbait.
Wait I thought Moses was the one who always gets injured right before big games, not Cleary? If Moses is out then of course they’re gonna blame Cleary even if the team is the problem lol.
Laurie Daley is saying it’s unfair but he’s also kinda dodging the question. Like if you need the halfback to “own” it and he doesn’t, then what else are we supposed to call it? Also Minns deleting a post feels like a scandal for no reason, just play the game.