Luke Keary emerges as unlikely Blues Origin saviour amid sad Nathan Cleary development
Luke Keary has been backed to answer a State of Origin SOS for NSW after another superb display for the red-hot Roosters in Sunday’s 38-18 win over the Warriors. Keary’s latest impressive display comes hot on the heels of the devastating injury news for Nathan Cleary and the likelihood the three-time premiership-winning Penrith halfback will miss the entire Origin series as a result of his latest hamstring complaint.
The Panthers revealed on Sunday that results from scans showed Cleary suffered a grade two hamstring tear in the Panthers’ 16-10 NRL triumph over the Bulldogs on Friday night. It means the star halfback is likely to be out for between six to eight weeks, which would all but rule him out of the Origin series, which kicks off in Sydney on June 5.
Cleary’s injury is yet another headache for Blues coach Michael Maguire, who has already seen other NSW Origin hopefuls Tom Trbojevic (hamstring) and Cameron Murray (hip flexor) ruled out. Mitchell Moses hasn’t featured in the NRL since the round three victory over Manly after suffering a fracture in his left foot, and will be battling to push his claims for selection before the series gets underway.
Veteran halfback Adam Reynolds will miss most of the season for the Broncos with a torn bicep and Sharks playmaker Nicho Hynes sat out Cronulla’s round 10 victory over Melbourne with a calf strain, but is expected back for the Magic Round clash against the Roosters on Saturday. Cody Walker is another potential halves option for Maguire’s Blues after playing alongside Moses in the Game III victory last year, but his form has been underwhelming for the struggling Rabbitohs in 2023, while Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai has seemingly fallen out of calculations for the NSW side.
