The inspirational words behind McLean's unexpected Origin debut
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NSW Blues debutant Casey McLean has revealed his Panthers teammates helped calm him before his unexpected match-turning cameo off the bench in Wednesday's State of Origin opener.
The 20-year-old arrived at Accor Stadium expecting to watch the match from the sidelines as the Blues 19th man. That rapidly changed when Tolu Koula was hit high by Kalyn Ponga and McLean was thrust into the action in the 57th minute.
McLean made an instant impact and provided the spark NSW needed to kick start one of the greatest comebacks in Origin history. The Blues ran in three tries in the final 18 minutes to stun the Maroons 22-20 in front of nearly 80,000 delirious fans.
James Tedesco Try
While not initially expecting to get on the field on Wednesday night, McLean revealed it was the cool head of club and state captain Isaah Yeo who ensured the youngster was not overawed by the occasion.
"Yeo pulled me aside and said 'you've done it all year, back yourself, back your training, just run out there, do your job and don't let anyone down'," McLean told NRL.com.
"Being outside [centre Stephen Crichton], he is the benchmark centre in our comp so there was confidence from training with him throughout the week. Then having [Nathan Cleary], [Brian To'o] and Yeo in our team is really helpful coming on to the field."
Match: Blues v Maroons
Game 1 -
home Team
Blues
away Team
Maroons
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
In a match-turning 23-minute cameo, McLean produced a number of crucial leaping catches and helped put the Blues on the front foot at the start of their sets.
The winger came close to scoring multiple times and finished with 60 run metres from seven carries and two tackle breaks in a performance well beyond his years.
The debut continued a stunning trend for one of the game's most exciting outside backs, who has starred for Penrith and New Zealand since breaking into the NRL as an 18-year-old.
McLean scored four tries in his first Test match for the Kiwis, while he has developed into a key figure in the Panthers backline.
Casey McLean scores four tries on Kiwis debut
Yeo has had a front-row seat to McLean's evolution from Penrith rookie to Blues debutant and said he is only going to get better.
"I don't want to put pressure on him but the sky's the limit and he showed that tonight," Yeo said. "It's a tough position, you're 19th man thinking you're not going to get on and all of a sudden you get thrown into it.
"That could overawe a lot of people, not just a 20-year-old, 30-year-olds could struggle in that environment. He attacked it, his first touch was a contested catch running into the ball. That would have given him a hell of a lot of confidence.
"The sky's the limit for him. You don't want to put pressure on him because he's still young and he's still got to see all those things but the way he attacked the game, that can be a tough environment for someone to go into. I was proud of how he attacked it, regardless of the outcome, he was chasing the game and I'm stoked for him."
While McLean starred for the Blues on Wednesday night, coach Laurie Daley said post-game he will likely stick with Koula on the left wing if he is healthy for Game Two at the MCG on June 17.
That will see McLean reprise his role as super-sub as NSW hope to close out the series.
Blues: Game 1
It's a position the youngster will embrace with open arms, with Panthers teammate Brian To'o confident he can make another big impact if given the opportunity.
"Even with the amount of time he had on the field, it was not unexpected," To'o said. "He was ready for the moment, he achieved everything he needed to do and he's built for this arena.
"Even though he's still young, he's very mature for his age. When young players get a lot of accolades and achievements, they can get too excited. Where Casey's come from to where he is right now, he's in a good mindset.
"That's a credit to him and his family that he's stayed grounded and taken it moment by moment."
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