Coached by Canberra’s greatest five-eighth, Strange makes a dream Origin debut
Compared to Canberra’s most famous five-eighths, Ethan Strange entered his first State of Origin match hoping to match the feats of Laurie Daley.
As a player, Daley has a long road ahead of him to achieve his successes, but his debut was a fair start.
The 21-year-old Raider was the highlight of the Blues’ stunning come-from-behind victory at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.
Not bad for someone who was called up to the starting team on the eve of the game.
Strange scored a goal himself and was denied a second due to an obstruction as NSW came back into the game in the final 20 minutes against 12-man Queensland.
Standing out with his running game and defense, he always appeared to be the most dangerous player in the Blues’ offense and came into his own as the Maroons tired and gaps began to open.
Strange gained valuable experience on last year’s Kangaroos tour, where he met up with NSW halfback Nathan Cleary, who was man of the match on Wednesday night.
Club coach Ricky Stuart had predicted Strange would wear the sky blue jersey next year; but even the former Blues halfback would have been stunned by the first display.
He also had some big hits defensively and will be hard to dislodge once Mitchell Moses recovers from a minor hamstring issue that forced him to withdraw Tuesday.
“That was pretty special,” Strange said. “I’m playing with all these guys, they’re all legends of the game. I’m pinching myself.”
Standing in the coaches’ dugout, Daley could only be proud of being one of the state’s best five-eighths ever.
The NSW coach’s mood was different for much of the game as the Blues shot themselves in the foot by making a series of mistakes to pave the way for Queensland to take a 20-0 lead.
But Daley was left celebrating as Cleary stood up when it mattered and guided NSW to a stunning victory.
He had been evasive about his future as Blues coach in the lead-up to this series, in the second year of his second stint with the state team.
“I guarantee you, I know exactly what I want to do,” he told the breakfast radio show.
“There are no surprises in what I’m doing. I know what my future looks like, but for me, I’m jumping headfirst into game one.”
The strong suggestion was that he would quit even if the Blues won.
It remains to be seen whether he will reconsider if they continue to run the series in Melbourne or Brisbane.
Until the final moments, it looked as if he was just one defeat away from a second straight series defeat and presiding over his sixth of seven series as NSW coach.
But momentum has been the buzzword in the NRL this year and the Blues have certainly captured that by taking advantage of their extra men.
Ivan Cleary is already being talked about as a future Blues coach when he completes his club duties at Penrith next year.
But for now, Daley is the man, and he may be the winner in the end.
Chris Barrett is senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Southeast Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age newspapers.Connect with: X or email.
