Daly Cherry-Evans in surprise admission about Jarome Luai after fiery scenes in Origin decider
Cherry-Evans and Luai were at the centre of ugly scenes at Suncorp Stadium.
Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans says he has no hard feelings towards Blues five-eighth Jarome Luai after a fiery clash between the pair in Wednesday night's State of Origin decider. The Blues stopped the Maroons from winning a third straight Origin series with a 14-4 victory in a bruising Game 3 in Brisbane, where nine players were charged by the match review committee from the first half incident involving Luai and Cherry-Evans.
The rival playmakers were involved a scuffle in the 31st minute after the Blues had lost the ball near the halfway line. Both Luai and Cherry-Evans could be seen pushing each other in the face before Maroons back-rower Jeremiah Nanai ran in and shoved Luai out of the way, sparking a melee that saw players from both sides racing in to get involved and NSW ultimately awarded a penalty.
Nanai was sin-binned for his part in the fracas, while NSW lock Cameron Murray was also sent for 10 after getting involved from the bench. NSW squad member Haumole Olakau'atu - wearing a suit as he was not part of the Blues' 18-man team - was also removed from the team dugout and banned from taking the field after stepping in to drag Maroons winger Valentine Holmes away. Both Murray and Olakau'atu were subsequently slapped with two-game bans on Thursday.
Luai haș revelled in his role as chief instigator for the Blues in the past and was once again the pantomime villain for NSW on Wednesday night. His antics certainly rattled the normally unflappable Cherry-Evans, who proceeded to have a number of other running battles with NSW players throughout the match and failed to play his normal game.
Daly Cherry-Evans' shock Jarome Luai call after scuffle
Cherry-Evans was adamant after the game that Luai was the instigator of the melee and that the Maroons should have been awarded the penalty. But the Maroons captain said he did not harbour any negative sentiment towards his rival playmaker. And DCE admitted that while Luai often tries to get under the skin of opposition players, he "admires" and "respects" the Blues No.6 nevertheless.
"Look, he is a real competitor. He wants people to lose their heads. He wants to get under your skin," Cherry-Evans said. "I play (opposite) him a fair bit and I love competing against him. I have got to admire his competitiveness and there is a good footy player there.
"As much as we go at each other there is also a hell of a lot of respect for each other and we always make sure we shake hands and look each other in the eye after the game and know that we are doing nothing personally against each other. It is just part of the game."
Daly Cherry-Evans 'proud' of Maroons after brutal Game 3
Many viewers actually thought the Maroons skipper was the instigator of the melee after his initial tackle on Luai prompted the push and shove. But Cherry-Evans says he's comfortable with his own actions and "proud" of how his teammates stuck together and refused to back down during a brutal encounter.
"I don't know whether we expected it to go where it went to tonight. I don't know what it looked like but it felt pretty wild," the Maroons captain admitted. "It felt like an Origin throwback. I think we can be proud of how we handled it all. There were moments in game two where we felt we let each other down by not being there for each other. I am proud of how we stuck together."
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Speculation has been building that this year's Origin series could be the last for Cherry-Evans but the Maroons skipper hinted that he is looking to add to his 25 appearances for Queensland in 2025. "I thought I was done last year but the fire still keeps burning. Mentally and physically I feel like I can still do it ... that is all provided I am the right person for the job," he said.
"I love this team and I am proud to be captain. You don't get to choose your fairytales in rugby league. If tonight was the last night the result is super disappointing but the career has been more than I could have ever thought of as a little kid. Either way I am proud of what has happened so far. The competitor in me thinks it is hard to walk away."
with AAP
