A Historic Rivalry Revisited
Anthony Mundine had a long-standing rivalry with Laurie Daley during their playing days. The two often found themselves at odds, with Mundine famously questioning Daley’s commitment to his Indigenous heritage and joking about him “running on old legs.” However, their history didn’t stop Mundine from reaching out to Daley in Melbourne on Tuesday night. He expressed his support for Daley as the NSW coach and emphasized the importance of seeing him succeed against Queensland.
“He’s a good man, brother,” Mundine said. “It was good to catch up with him. We had a lot of history – he was a nemesis back in the day – but to see what he’s doing now, he’s got an opportunity to close it out. The people talking shit about him, if you ain’t been there and done it, you’ve got no right to say anything. Loz is a legend.”
Mundine, known as “The Man” during his playing career, even briefly passed the title to Nathan Cleary, the NSW halfback. He praised Cleary’s leadership and urged him to take charge of the team.
“The man who can get them home on Wednesday night is the general, and that’s Nathan Cleary,” Mundine said. “I told him, ‘bruh, you’re the man, this is your time, and you need to lead with everything, lead with your energy, your talk, and your actions’. He said, ‘thanks man, I appreciate that’.”
Prime Minister’s Surprise Appearance
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a surprise appearance at the NSW team dinner on Tuesday night, where he met with Laurie Daley to discuss the Blues’ chances in the Origin series. Known as “Albo,” the Prime Minister is a passionate South Sydney fan and has shown his support for the team in various ways, including a memorable stroll across Allianz Stadium when Alex Johnston broke the try-scoring record earlier this year.
Albanese was eager to check in on the Blues while in town at the Pullman Hotel, showing his continued interest in the team’s success.
Emotional Moments and Key Players
The pre-game jersey presentations were filled with emotion, especially when Dylan Lucas, Mark Nawaqanitawase, and Jack Bostock received their first jerseys. James Tedesco was awarded a medal for reaching 25 games for NSW, and Storm coach Craig Bellamy also handed out playing tops to the non-debutants.
Casey McLean, who was ruled out due to a quad injury on Saturday, returned to Melbourne to be with the team, adding to the sense of unity within the squad.
Trbojevic’s Return and Team Dynamics
Tom Trbojevic, known as “Turbo,” is set to return from a hamstring injury, which is a boost for both Manly and potentially the NSW team heading into Game Three. Despite his return, Trbojevic hopes the Blues can secure the series in Melbourne, avoiding any changes to the lineup.
“I love NSW and I love Origin, but I haven’t given it much thought – I actually hope they can win the series in Melbourne so there’s no need to make changes then,” Trbojevic said. “Tolu has been unbelievable for us, and I’m sure he’ll do another outstanding job. Tolu and Haumole have taken a lot of confidence out of being on that arena, they’ve learned so much, and they now realise how much they can influence a game.”
Daley can take comfort in knowing that Newcastle’s Bradman Best and possibly South Sydney’s Latrell Mitchell are also back from injury for Game Three, offering additional backline options if needed.
Finegan’s Aspirations
James Finegan has lost count of the number of times his father, former Wallabies prop Owen Finegan, forced him to watch replays of his famous try in the 1999 Rugby World Cup final against France. Now, the younger Finegan is eager to score a long-range try himself when he runs out for the NSW in the under-19s Origin clash against Queensland on Thursday night.
The 18-year-old backrower played rugby growing up but always preferred league. The Sydney Roosters clearly have high hopes for him, recently re-signing him until the end of 2029. Bondi club will have no fewer than five players representing NSW, including Rex Bassingthwaighte, who made his NRL debut last Friday night.
Owen posed for a photo with James and joked he was glad his son was finally “no longer riding on my coattails.” Owen added he had spent a few seasons playing league with Bondi United and school footy with Roosters royalty, Luke Ricketson.
New Ventures for Former Tigers’ Leaders
There have been whispers that former Wests Tigers CEO and chairman, Justin Pascoe, along with Lee Hagipantelis, and their Global Sports Fund Management Group, are interested in buying a stake in the Melbourne Storm. The Storm’s owners confirmed earlier this year they were not selling out of the club, but had sounded out private equity firms in the hope they can invest in the club’s future training and pathways program.
However, Hagipantelis quickly dismissed the idea of buying a stake in the Storm, stating there may have been confusion because they had bought professional netball franchise the Sunshine Coast Lightning from the NRL club. GSF owns the Lightning and Canadian basketball team the Ottawa BlackJacks. They also part-own the A-League’s Newcastle Jets.
Hagipantelis is now looking to buy a lower-division English football club. “We’ve already had a number of Zooms with interested parties, and it’s definitely on the agenda – it would be a wonderful addition to our little portfolio,” he said.
Demon Joins Blues
Melbourne Demons coach Steven King joined NSW counterpart Laurie Daley at training on Monday. Daley said King shared how he spent seven years living on the NSW South Coast and had a keen interest in the game. Meanwhile, Daley confirmed there were no plans to bring Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy into the box on Wednesday. While Brad Fittler used Penrith coach Ivan Cleary as a sounding board in 2023, Daley was content with his current team setup.
