Jarome Luai has had a chequered past with Parramatta at times: the Penrith half famously sledged their Western Sydney rivals, posting ‘call us daddy’ after the 2022 Grand Final in which the Panthers defeated the Eels.
But speaking in Blues camp, Luai was quick to laugh off the incident, and told The Roar about his excitement to play alongside Parra playmaker Mitch Moses for the first time when the pair take to the field at Suncorp Stadium next Monday for New South Wales.
“We left that behind us,” joked Luai. “We have a laugh about it but we have a job to do for New South Wales and that’s bigger than the both of us.
“He’s a good guy off the field and if you have a connection off the field, it fast tracks what happens on it. In terms of me and Mitch and our connection, we need to be on the same page and be around the ball.
“If you’re playing well, you can complement anyone’s game. We know our roles and what we have to do for our team, so that’s what the focus is. Helping everyone else to play well is part of my responsibility as well.”
Luai singled out Moses’ running game and his kicking as his best aspects – adding that he knew all too well how difficult he could be to face from Penrith’s clashes with Parramatta.
“He’s a big weapon for us,” said the Blues five eighth. “You think of Origin games as back-to-back footy and who does that better, so having Mitch as the big boot who can kick us out is a big factor for us.
“It’s frustrating to play against, so having that next to you is pretty calming and a good influence on the team as a whole. He’s kicked 1000m on three occasions this year, so he has that and hopefully we can utilise it to its maximum potential.
“He’s dangerous with the footy. When you’re dangerous like that, it opens up everything else, your passing and kicking. That’s what I think of Mitch, his dangerous running game.”
Panthers teammate Isaah Yeo was similarly gushing about Moses, and said his defensive kicking could be the key to overcoming the fearsome Suncorp Stadium atmosphere.
“His kicking game is outstanding,” said Yeo. “He’s got a really big boot on him but he’s also really accurate. When you verse Parramatta sometimes, you feel like you win the field position battle and he just changes it with a couple of kicks. Parra react to that really well and they know that’s one of his strengths.
“They grow an extra leg up there and their line speed and intensity goes up. There’s going to be times when we’re on the back foot so to be able to kick yourself out of trouble certainly helps.
“But beyond that, the way he played against the Dogs (on Monday) is the way he’s played the last couple of seasons. When you’re playing like that it puts you into things like this. It’s not his first Origin so it’s now new, but it’s been great to get on the paddock with him.
Jarome Luai of the Blues drops the ball in a tackle during game two of the State of Origin series between New South Wales Blues and Queensland Maroons at Optus Stadium, on June 26, 2022, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Perhaps most excited of all was Eels teammate Junior Paulo, who spoke of how much he had seen Moses grow in the time that the pair had spent together since the halfback’s last Origin in 2021.
“I’m excited that my mate got the call up again,” said the Blues prop. “Just to see how he’s grown as a player over the past couple of years, you can see the maturity in his game. We need him to go out there and play his style of footy.
“We know how much of an attacking role he loves to play but defensively, this year has probably been one of his best seasons. That’s something he’s been able to grow. I’m looking forward to seeing him take control out there.
“We’ve seen Mitchy showcase it over the years. In club footy, you can depend on him to get you out of trouble. That’s not going to be the only thing we rely on next Wednesday but he’s shown why he deserves to be here and we need him to do his role.”
"That was just a glowing endorsement from Dylan Edwards"
New coach Michael Maguire will go into Origin I without one of the Blues' most reliable players after Cameron Murray was ruled out for…
Whether it is for his football form or comments around his Aboriginal heritage, Mitchell may just be the most talked about player in the history of the game.
Queensland often has the right mix of generational talent, playmaking brilliance and these nuts-and-bolts players that bind them together like glue.
Despite a poor season by his own high standards, Latrell Mitchell is still a chance to force his way into the NSW team for…
Michael Maguire is saying all the right things about how he wants to guide NSW back to State of Origin supremacy but the inescapable…
