The New South Wales Blues’ preparation for State of Origin Game 2 has come under intense scrutiny following revelations about the handling of Nathan Cleary and Mitchell Moses.
With the Panthers and Eels reportedly blindsided by developments in the NSW camp, questions are now being asked about the strategies and communication of coach Laurie Daley and his staff.
The truth behind Nathan Cleary’s fitness was on full display as soon as he stepped onto the turf at Optus Stadium on Wednesday night. Despite being named to start, Cleary appeared physically restricted from the outset, and now it’s clear why.
Rumours swirled during the week that Cleary had been placed on a limited training program. On Wednesday night, Channel 9 reported Cleary had been reduced to “kicking by visualisation” during the Blues’ final training session.
According to Code Sports, all of this caught the Penrith Panthers by surprise. The report claims Penrith officials were “dumbfounded by Cleary’s apparent injury”, with no prior knowledge of any issue that would require such restrictions.
MORE: NSW coach clarifies Nathan Cleary's fitness concern
Cleary relinquished goal-kicking duties to Zac Lomax, who landed two goals from five attempts, leaned heavily on teammates Jarome Luai and Latrell Mitchell for general play kicking.
The Blues halfback kicked just three times in the first half, finishing with 11 kicks for 295 metres and five runs overall.
The image of a compression bandage strapped around his upper right leg was an ominous sign, and while Cleary had enough classy moments to justify his selection, it’s clear something was amiss.
On the same day, another bombshell rocked the NSW camp, with reports suggesting the Blues mishandled Mitchell Moses’ training load before the Parramatta halfback suffered a serious calf injury that ruled him out of Origin Game 2.
According to Code Sports, Moses had carried a calf issue for several weeks and was being carefully managed by Eels high performance staff.
The report says NSW staff were informed of this when Moses entered camp, but questions are now being raised over how that information was handled.
Scans later revealed Moses would be out for at least six weeks, and frustration reportedly boiled over behind the scenes.
“Eels officials are believed to be privately seething with the injury to their talismanic skipper,” Brent Read and Michael Carayannis wrote.
Still, the mystery remains: how did Cleary’s condition deteriorate so rapidly once in camp, and why weren’t the Panthers made aware?
For now, Penrith will be without their halfback for this Saturday’s clash against the New Zealand Warriors, though Cleary is expected to return for Round 17 against the Canterbury Bulldogs on June 26.