‘We can go to another level': Blues halves primed to secure series win

Sydney Morning Herald

2 days ago

Nathan Cleary is confident he and Mitchell Moses can 'go to another level' as he admitted to being surprised by Queensland's decision to revamp their halves pairing for Origin II in Perth next week.
The Maroons have dumped long-serving skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and replaced him with Tom Dearden at No.7 after being outgunned 18-6 in the series opener at Suncorp Stadium.
All but the first two of Cleary's 15 Origin appearances have been with Cherry-Evans as his opposite number. When the Penrith maestro made his Origin debut as a 20-year-old in 2018, Ben Hunt was Queensland's No.7 for the first two games of that series.
Cleary and Cherry-Evans have since gone head to head 13 times, with the latter holding a seven-six advantage.
'I wasn't really expecting it,' Cleary said of the decision to cull the Manly veteran, which was confirmed when Maroons coach Billy Slater announced his squad on Monday.
'It's interesting. I think Daly's been an outstanding Origin player for such a long time.
'Obviously Tommy Dearden is great player, too … I wasn't sure what they were going to do but I thought Daly's the captain.'
Cherry-Evans and Cameron Munster – making their 15th appearance together as Queensland's halves – were clearly overshadowed in Origin I by Cleary and Moses, who were playing together for the first time.