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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The premiership and State of Origin series winning halfback was inducted into the Hall of Fame<\/a> alongside Boyd Cordner at a gala dinner on Monday night, the duo joining a host of the game’s greats in the illustrious club.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n After guiding NSW to victory in Game One last year, the pair will reunite for next Wednesday’s series opener at Accor Stadium.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Maroons v Blues \u2013 Game 1, 2025<\/p>\n A calf injury forced Moses to miss the second and third matches last season, with the Blues going on to lose 2-1.\u00a0<\/p>\n While both men are traditional ball-dominant halfbacks, Sterling is confident they will form a winning combination.\u00a0<\/p>\n “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.\u00a0<\/p>\n “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.\u00a0<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n The most crushing defeat<\/a> came less than 12 months ago, when the Blues suffered a devastating 24-12 loss to Maroons on home soil.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Blues v Maroons \u2013 Game 3, 2025<\/p>\n The results have led to questions about Cleary’s ability to translate club success into the representative arena but Sterling has no such doubts.\u00a0<\/p>\n “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.\u00a0<\/p>\n “All I know is when we go and win this series, Nathan Cleary will have made a major contribution to the series win.”<\/p>\n A four-time premiership winner with the Eels, Sterling has inspired multiple generations of Parramatta playmakers throughout the last 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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