'Need to be tougher': Tom Trbojevic incident that saw State of Origin player axed
Todd Payten has pinpointed Jeremiah Nanai's defence as an area he needs to improve after dumping him to reserve grade after the Cowboys' embarrassing loss to Manly in round one. And a couple of worrying moments involving the Queensland State of Origin forward provided the perfect example.
Nanai only had two runs in 58 minutes, making just 16 metres in total. It was a seriously worrying performance from a State of Origin forward, but his efforts in defence were even worse.
He managed to make 23 tackles, but missed more (3) than he had runs. Two of the missed tackles led to Sea Eagles tries, including a diabolical effort in the first half when Tom Trbojevic ran straight past him.
Trbojevic got the ball at first-receiver and never really looked like passing, brushing straight past Reece Robson (one of the best defenders in the NRL) as Nanai hung out an arm with a rather weak effort. Nanai stopped moving in defence and only had eyes for the man outside Trbojevic, and by the time he realised Turbo was running it was too late.
Trbojevic streamed downfield and set up Ethan Bullemor for a try under the posts. It made the score 24-0 after just 28 minutes.
The second questionable effort came in the second half when Daly Cherry-Evans dived over for a try that looked all-too easy. After Taniela Paseka sucked in multiple defenders before off-loading to Cherry-Evans, the veteran halfback found himself one-on-one with Nanai close to the line.
Cherry-Evans didn't do much to beat Nanai, but left the Cowboys forward clutching at thin air as he stepped past him. Nanai was up against it to prevent the try, but you'd expect a better effort from a State of Origin player.
The worrying scenes and the fact he's been dropped might pose a huge headache for Queensland coach Billy Slater. The Maroons mentor stuck solid with Nanai in last year's Origin series, preferring him to David Fifita despite widespread calls for Slater to pick the Titans player.
It might be a different story for Nanai in 2025, with Tom Gilbert and Max Plath likely to come into calculations. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and Corey Horsburgh could also return after missing out last year due to injuries and form, while Slater will be hard-pressed keeping Fifita out again after they lost 2-1 in 2024.
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Speaking this week after axing Nanai, Cowboys coach Payten said the 22-year-old is "an elite attacking player", but conceded: "Jeremiah ... needs to improve some defensive parts of his game and he is going to get some time in the Q Cup to do that. It wasn't an easy decision but I just felt it was important for the group that if we want to improve as a team, defence is first and foremost."
Payten had revealed before the season started that defence was an area he was intent on fixing. "We have to show more resilience when things are going against us. That's our priority," he said. "The decisions we make under fatigue across the group and as individuals need to be tougher ones."
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