NSW have recalled Jarome Luai for State of Origin II after five-eighth Mitchell Moses was ruled out with a calf injury at training on Thursday.
The NRL granted an exemption allowing Luai to enter camp from outside the 20-man squad named on Tuesday, and he will partner Nathan Cleary in the halves. Game two is at Optus Stadium in Perth on Wednesday 18 June, with NSW leading the series 1-0.
The Injury
Moses pulled up sore while running the ball early in Thursday’s session at the Blues’ camp in the Blue Mountains, and the injury is to the same calf that troubled him earlier in the season. The Blues sent him for scans on Thursday and ruled him out of game two.
“It’s terrible, isn’t it? Mitch played really well in game one,” Blues coach Laurie Daley said. “We’re unsure of how bad it is but he won’t be any good for Wednesday with the short turnaround.”
The Recall
Daley rang Luai on Thursday, shortly after Luai had finished training with his club, Wests Tigers, to let him know he was needed.
Luai had been overlooked for selection for game one, and the NRL exemption allows him to return from outside the 20-man squad. Matt Burton remains the 18th man.
“Luai handled it (the initial rejection) with such class and he said if I needed him, he’d be ready to go,” Daley said. “So when I rang him, he said, ‘Sweet, I’m ready to go’. That filled me with confidence.”
“I’ve done the work, I’ve been here before. I know what it takes,” Luai said on arrival at the team hotel in Leura.
“I’m really excited and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I know there were a few options they could’ve went with but I’ll make sure I repay that faith.”
Why Luai
The recall reunites Luai with Cleary, with whom he won four premierships at Penrith, and the pair have featured together at Origin level six times. Luai played five-eighth in all three games of last year’s series win.
“Back playing together, there’d be an energy and a synergy there,” Daley said. “He’ll do a fine job.”
The AAP report notes the recall brings up Luai’s 11th Origin cap.
The Series Picture
Moses was preferred to Luai for game one, which NSW won, and the Blues take a 1-0 series lead into the second match of the three-match series at Optus Stadium in Perth on Wednesday 18 June.
Queensland winger Xavier Coates said the recalled pairing would be dangerous to defend against. “They’ve played all their footy together at the Panthers. When it comes to Origin football they’ll be a dangerous threat.”
What Next
Moses’ availability later in the series will be determined by the results of the scans. The series continues with game three in July.
“I’m not worried about what’s next. I’m worried about the present moment,” Luai said.
It is the second series in a row in which NSW have turned late to a player they initially left out, after James Tedesco came in for the 2024 opener.
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Sources: 7NEWS, https://7news.com.au/sport/rugby-league/nsw-blues-rule-mitch-moses-out-from-state-of-origin-ii-with-calf-strain-c-19009215; ABC News, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-12/nsw-playmaker-mitchell-moses-ruled-out-of-origin-ii/105406948; The Canberra Times (AAP), https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8990503/luai-answers-blues-sos-call-for-state-of-origin-ii/
Photo: Gnangarra, CC BY 2.5 AU, via Wikimedia Commons.
Perth Stadium, now Optus Stadium, on its open day in January 2018. The photograph is not from State of Origin II or any match described in the article.
