NSW’s Big Question: Who replaces Cleary for Suncorp must-win?

NSW have been left scrambling to decide on a new halfback for their must-win State of Origin clash against Queensland at Suncorp Stadium in a little over two weeks after it was announced that incumbent Nathan Cleary would be unavailable for selection for the remainder of the series after picking up a hamstring issue on Sunday night.

Several names will be considered to replace Cleary – whose Game I performance was viewed by many as below his usual, high standard – with ramifications on Jarome Luai’s position at five-eighth a possibility depending on the route Brad Fittler and his staff opt to go.

Game I debutant and reigning Dally M Medallist Nicho Hynes earnt the bench utility spot in Adelaide and was not thrown into action until the 68th minute when star centre Tom Trbojevic left the field for a HIA.

Hynes’ debut did not go to plan with the Sharks playmaker thrusted into an unfamiliar role at right centre and caught out defensively in the lead-up to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow’s match-winning try.

His 12-minute stint as a centre should have little bearing over his case to win the vacant seven jersey.

The 26-year-old trails only Cody Walker in try involvement per game this season among qualifying players whilst leading the premiership in average line break assists and average possessions among now non-hookers and coming in at fourth in average kick metres.

He is also second among all halfbacks in average run metres and tackle breaks.

At NRL level, he is one of the premiership’s most complete playmakers and is the centre of Cronulla’s potent, attacking ecosystem on a week-to-week basis.

The big stage runs are not on the board for Hynes yet, however; the only finals games he has appeared in as a starter were the Sharks’ straight-sets exit in 2022 and his Origin debut came as a bench utility.

His club form has been undeniable and he has shown across his time at the Sharks and Storm that he is a malleable player whose rugby league instincts and IQ shine in most situations.

Broncos veteran Adam Reynolds may come into the frame if Fittler is not sold on Hynes’ or others’ ability to contend with hostility that comes with the Suncorp cauldron.

A sublime general play kicker and goal-kicker as well as a proven game-manager, Reynolds has a collection of strong postseason performances under his belt and has enjoyed a phenomenal first-half of the season.

He is not as hands-on as Hynes at clubland but the strength of his kicking game and experience may appeal to the NSW selectors.

His case grows even stronger if the selectors make the call to break-up the Penrith combo completely and overlook Luai for Cody Walker who has proven to be one of the generation’s great attacking halves.

The Souths five-eighth is currently nine try involvements ahead of any other player on the season – the same margin between the 2nd and 21st players on the list.

Walker and Reynolds played 128 games alongside each other at South Sydney, winning 82 of them.

Should Latrell Mitchell prove his fitness and line-up at left centre after being ruled out of Origin I with a calf issue, the appeal of Walker and Reynolds’ candidacies increases even more.

Both Walker and Hynes are experts at getting their outside backs involved in the attack – a key struggle that hurt NSW in Adelaide.

Mitchell Moses is another name that will draw consideration; Fittler mentored Moses during Lebanon’s 2017 World Cup campaign before handing him his debut Origin jersey in 2021.

The Eels seven is coming off a Grand Final run and has proven to be one of the premiership’s elite playmakers.

He is second among all halfbacks this season in average kick metres, third in forced dropouts, and seventh in try involvements.

He may be the closest like-for-like Cleary replacement thanks to his dominant kicking game and ability to accelerate and make the right reads with ball in hand.

Moses’ ability to play as an out-and-out lead-half allows his halves partner to pick their times carefully and inject themselves in favourable positions, which is a similar manner in which Cleary and Luai operate at club and rep level.

The allure of Luai drops considerably with Cleary watching from the sideline; no longer can the basis for his selection boil solely down to familiarity with his halves partner.

Luai was one of the Blues’ best in Origin I and has been a vital cog in back-to-back premiership winning squads at Penrith.

Few five-eighths possess a comparable résumé to the St Marys juniors but Fittler has to ask the question if Luai is still the Blues’ best option at six with the other half of the Luai-Cleary duo missing.

Luai’s former Panthers teammate Matt Burton is another option for Fittler either in the halves or off the bench.

The Dogs chief playmaker has had a hand in 17 of Canterbury’s 40 tries this season and possesses one of the premiership’s deadliest boots.

He is just as damaging as a left centre as he is a five-eighth or halfback and has experience playing alongside NSW’s Penrith and Canterbury representatives.

A big body who scored and assisted on a try in his Origin debut a year ago, Burton’s skillset is transferrable to all manners of football and would provide the squad with several valuable skills, namely his weaponised, torpedo punts and utility value.

Fittler and co. have several avenues that they can venture down and much of their decision will hinge on who lines up at five-eighth.

Luai is still the favourite to don the six and, should he retain his spot, Hynes or Moses present the most Cleary-like replacements for the Blues to lean on.

Should NSW opt for the same sort of squad overhaul that they underwent following an opening clash loss in 2019, the Reynolds-Walker combination presents as an appealing option.

Journeying north and getting the job done in the sport’s most hostile environment will be a tall task that would propel the side into Blues folklore if they can complete it but the halves conundrum is exactly that: a conundrum.

It is a call the selectors have to nail if the Blues are any chance of upsetting the Maroons in the Queensland capital and keep their series alive.

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