Coached by Canberra’s greatest five-eighth, Strange makes a dream Origin debut

Compared to the most famous of Canberra five-eighths, Ethan Strange entered his first State of Origin match with high hopes of living up to the exploits of Laurie Daley.

He has a long way to match Daley’s achievements as a player, but his debut was fair start.

The 21-year-old Raider was a revelation in the Blues’ astounding come-from-behind victory at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night.

Not bad for someone who was only called into the starting side on the eve of the game.

Strange scored a try himself and was denied a second by an obstruction as NSW steamed back into the game in the last 20 minutes against a 12-man Queensland.

Noted for his running game and his defence, he always looked the most dangerous player in the Blues’ attack and as the Maroons tired and the gaps began to open up he came into his own.

Strange gained valuable experience on last year’s Kangaroos tour, where he mixed with NSW halfback Nathan Cleary, the man of the match on Wednesday night.

Club coach Ricky Stuart had predicted Strange would be playing in the sky blue in the next year – but even the former Blues halfback would have been stunned by the maiden display.

He also had made some big hits in defence and will be tough to dislodge when Mitchell Moses recovers from a minor hamstring issue that forced him to withdraw on Tuesday.

“That was pretty special, that one,” Strange said. “Playing with all these guys, they’re all legends of the game. I’m pinching myself.”

Standing in the coaching box, Daley could only have been proud as one of the state’s best ever five-eighths.

The NSW coach’s mood had been different for most of the game, as the Blues shot themselves in the foot with a catalogue of errors to open the way for Queensland to race to a 20-0 lead.

But as Cleary stood up when it mattered, directing NSW to the stunning triumph, Daley was left celebrating.

He had been evasive about his future as Blues coach in the lead-up to this series, the second year of his second stint in charge of the state side.

“I guarantee you, I know exactly what I want to do,” he said on his breakfast radio program.

“There’s no surprise with what I’m doing. I know what my future looks like, but for me, I am headfirst into game one.”

The strong suggestion has been that he would walk away from the job even if the Blues won.

Whether he would re-consider that if they go on to claim the series in either Melbourne or Brisbane is yet to be seen.

Until the final moments, it seemed as if he would be just one defeat away from presiding over a second consecutive series loss and a sixth from seven series as NSW coach overall.

But momentum is the buzz word in the NRL this year and, capitalising on their extra man, the Blues seized it emphatically.

Ivan Cleary is already being spoken about as a future Blues coach when he completes his club duties at Penrith next year.

But for now, Daley is the man and he may end up going out a winner.