When Wednesday night’s State of Origin decider kicks off at Suncorp Stadium, the stakes stretch far beyond 12 months of interstate bragging rights and the potential end of a coaching tenure. Beyond the cheers and heartbreak that will define the final 80 minutes of the 2024 series, the match will shape the careers of two of Australian rugby league’s brightest halfback talents: Nathan Cleary of the New South Wales Blues and Queensland Maroons rookie Sam Walker. Both men enter the decider as co-winners of the opening two games’ man-of-the-match honours, carrying famous rugby league surnames and vastly different personal stakes into the biggest match of the series. For Cleary, 28, a win on enemy territory would put to rest an enduring narrative that has lingered despite an already legendary career. Over 11 years in professional rugby league, Cleary has claimed four NRL premierships, two Clive Churchill Medals for grand final player of the year, a World Cup title, an Ashes series win, and three previous Origin series. Yet critics have continually pointed to one gap in his resume: he has never won an Origin decider, holding an 0-3 record in final-game deciders, leading to ongoing claims he has yet to truly dominate the Origin arena. A series-clinching win for the Blues would not only end that debate permanently, it would also almost certainly hand Cleary the coveted Wally Lewis Medal for player of the series, following his standout performance in game one. While his teammates have downplayed the external pressure on the star, who anchors the most dominant club side of the modern NRL era, Cleary says he has learned to reframe the weight of expectation as a positive. “You definitely feel it, but I feel it every single week; not just the big games,” Cleary told reporters ahead of the match. “I think it’s more of a pressure on me because I want to play my best game every single week. It’s obviously not attainable, but I want to do my best for the team to put ourselves in the best position to win. Sometimes you’ll just get hit with nerves that you’re not even expecting, and that’s just the body’s reaction. But dealing with those and actually realising that we’re in such a great position and have such a great opportunity to turn that into a positive is what’s ultimately changed. Probably earlier in my career, once I started feeling nerves, it would make me even more nervous and would spiral a bit. Now I definitely frame it as a positive thing. If you went through life without nerves or any of those high emotions, it would be quite a boring life.” Like Cleary, Walker carries a legacy tied to rugby league royalty. Cleary’s father Ivan forged a successful playing career before becoming one of the NRL’s most decorated modern coaches. Walker’s father Ben and uncles Chris and Shane all played top-flight NRL, and the younger Walker has inherited their unconventional, creative approach to the game. At 24, four years Cleary’s junior, Walker has yet to play in an NRL grand final, but his introduction to State of Origin has already exceeded all expectations. Drafted into the Maroons side to replace injured starter Tom Dearden, the rookie has already turned heads with his performance across the first two games of the series, and a series win would land him one of the biggest paydays in recent halfback history. For years, Walker was written off by scouts and analysts who questioned whether his smaller frame could withstand the physical intensity of top-level rugby league. But his spontaneous, unpredictable style of play has drawn inevitable comparisons to Queensland legend Allan “Alfie” Langer, another small, dynamic Ipswich-bred halfback who defied expectations to dominate the Origin arena. “You hate comparing him to the Alfie Langer journey, but the similarities are there for all to see,” Queensland Rugby League chief executive Ben Ikin said. “A small blonde-haired Queensland halfback who people didn’t know whether he’d be resilient enough to dominate at that level. Beyond that, both of them have their own unique approach to how they see the game and play the game. Sam, like Alfie, stepped into the maroon jersey. For those who know him well, they weren’t surprised. But for the rest of us, any doubts we had about this kid have been dispelled.” Maroons coach Billy Slater’s decision to hand Walker a starting spot was seen as a risky gamble when it was announced, but the move has already paid off in spades, proving that unorthodox playing styles can thrive on the Origin’s biggest stage. Ikin notes that Walker’s upbringing in a family that prioritizes creative, flexible coaching has given him an edge that opposing teams struggle to prepare for. “Sam has this unique way of playing the game,” Ikin said. “For a couple of decades, there’s been a lot of cookie-cutter football that has been largely driven by coaches. But now we’ve got this bloke whose father and uncle have got their own unique style of coaching, and he’s learnt a lot from them. For me, that means that at the NRL level and in Origin, because he’s unpredictable, he’s hard to coach against. It’s pleasing for me that he’s been able to transition that style from NRL into the toughest version of our game.” As kickoff draws near, both players are poised to leave permanent marks on the 2024 series, regardless of the final score. For Cleary, a win will cement his status as an Origin great; for Walker, a breakout performance in a series-winning Maroons side will confirm he belongs among the game’s elite, and set him up for the massive contract that has already been within sight.
‘Quite a boring life’: Nathan Cleary proves he’s human after all as Sam Walker shows ‘cookie cutter” halves aren’t always the answer
