- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Jarome Luai’s State of Origin scars have healed, the NSW playmaker turning a Suncorp Stadium graveyard into his field of dreams.
The Blues’ five-eighth capped a remarkable 12-month turnaround on Wednesday night, steering his men to a series-deciding 14-4 win in Brisbane.
Luai, without his old mate Nathan Cleary beside him, hammered away in a pulsating game dominated by defence before providing the match-turning moment after 65 minutes.
He skipped through a tackle to put Bradman Best away for the game’s first try, breaking the shackles as the Blues won a decider in Brisbane for the first time in 19 years.
It followed a stellar night in the Blues’ game-two flogging in Melbourne and came after his night from hell at the same venue barely a year ago.
Sent off after head-butting Reece Walsh in the final moments of a series-deciding 2023 game-two loss, Luai then copped social media abuse and death threats.
The Penrith star was widely thought to have been branded with the never-again stamp, dropped for the dead rubber.
But new coach Michael Maguire recalled Luai, who went on to star this series.
“People just talk about history and stats and we don’t have a great record here but I think we’ve done such a good job this week at just putting all that aside,” Luai said post match.
“I love these guys, man. Yeah, I actually love them.”
His feathers could have been ruffled late in the first half when Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans baited him in an off-the-ball scuffle that sparked a sideline melee.
But the Panthers ace, denied again and again by some incredible Maroons defence, did what the 52,457 in attendance are usually accustomed to seeing from their own to deliver the match-winning hand.
“Going down by two at half time, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so calm,” he said. “I just had that belief in what we had as a group, what we trained for. And I think we just had that mentality of, you know, we don’t mind if we’re going to win this in the 79th minute.
“We’re going to get it done. So hopefully the Blues fans can appreciate that a little bit tonight.
“I just enjoy winning. I enjoy winning with boys that I love. I think that’s why we had a great connection together.”
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.