'Great together': Sterling backs Blues halves to deliver series win
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NSWRL Hall of Fame inductee Peter Sterling has declared five-eighth Mitchell Moses is the perfect foil for halves partner Nathan Cleary as the duo look to lead the Blues to a State of Origin series victory.
The premiership and State of Origin series winning halfback was inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Boyd Cordner at a gala dinner on Monday night, the duo joining a host of the game's greats in the illustrious club.
It's a group Cleary and Moses could one day join if they lead the Blues to similar heights this year and into the future.
After guiding NSW to victory in Game One last year, the pair will reunite for next Wednesday's series opener at Accor Stadium.
Maroons v Blues – Game 1, 2025
A calf injury forced Moses to miss the second and third matches last season, with the Blues going on to lose 2-1.
While both men are traditional ball-dominant halfbacks, Sterling is confident they will form a winning combination.
"I love it, they're great players," Sterling said. "I've got a real soft spot for both of them, as individuals and as players. Nathan Cleary is clearly the best player in the game and has been for a couple of years now.
"Mitch is a really good foil for him. When we won the [2024] series with Mitch there, his kicking game got us home. Every time he kicked the football they were coming out from a metre or two from their own line and we based our game on his kicking game.
"They're going to be great together. Mitch is in a sweet spot of his career now and has enough gravitas in the team to call it when he wants it and not be overawed by playing with Nathan.
"They'll work really well together. They have done it in the past and I don't see it being any different this year, they're a real plus for us."
Cleary is one of the greatest players of the modern era, a four-time premiership winner and the current leader of the Dally M standings but has experienced mixed results in the Origin arena.
The halfback has won three series, with an overall record of eight wins from 17 games and has lost all three deciders he has featured in.
The most crushing defeat came less than 12 months ago, when the Blues suffered a devastating 24-12 loss to Maroons on home soil.
Blues v Maroons – Game 3, 2025
The results have led to questions about Cleary's ability to translate club success into the representative arena but Sterling has no such doubts.
"I'd rather have him on our team and I'd rather play with him than against him," Sterling said. "The record means nothing coming into this next series.
"All I know is when we go and win this series, Nathan Cleary will have made a major contribution to the series win."
A four-time premiership winner with the Eels, Sterling has inspired multiple generations of Parramatta playmakers throughout the last 30 years.
Moses has long spoken of the role the club legend played in his development when he first joined the Eels in 2017 and credits Sterling for helping elevate his game.
Cordner is another Blues great looking to mentor Moses and the whole NSW squad after joining Laurie Daley's coaching staff for this year's series.
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The retired forward led his state to back-to-back series victories in 2018 and 2019 and said the current side will be drawing on lessons from Sterling and other legends throughout the next six weeks.
"[Sterling] owned that stage through his career and [the players can learn] from his leadership," Cordner said. "It's a different game now but the game's been played for more than 110 years.
"It's still the same mindset. You still have to work harder than the opposition, still attack it and still run the ball. I'm not a halfback but there would be a lot to draw on from Sterlo for those guys."
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