‘Where was he?’: Heat turned on Luai after claims of Cleary-Mitchell Pearce double standard

The heat has been turned on five-eighth Jarome Luai as the post-mortem continues into the NSW Blues’ State of Origin series loss.

Nathan Cleary’s kicking game in Sunday’s 22-12 loss at Suncorp Stadium came under the microscope by the NRL 360 panel as Daily Telegraph reporter Phil Rothfield suggested the Penrith superstar should be copping more criticism.

“I have sat back and watched over the last decade halves who haven’t aimed up and the pasting that Mitchell Pearce over a long period of time,” Rothfield said on Thursday night’s show.

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“When you’re in a side that loses, that’s $1.35 favourites …If Mitchell Pearce had that No.7 jersey on and played the same last night he’d be back page, front page. We would be slamming him.”

Paul Kent also pondered why Cleary wasn’t able to produce his usual effective kicking game but former Blues star Michael Ennis defended the champion No.7.

“What do you want Cleary to do?,” Ennis said.

“… He couldn’t have done any more with his kicking game. We were getting dominated on players one, two and three because they were suffocating us .. and Cleary did his job to try and kick us out of trouble.”

Fellow former NSW representative Braith Anasta agreed and said questions should be asked about five-eighth Luai’s performance.

“I’ll tell you where the focus should be, Jarome Luai. Where was he?,” Anasta said.

“… Cleary, I’ll watch what I say, but he carries the Panthers every week. He was outstanding in Game 2.

“I thought he did a good job last night. The last play wasn’t the right play, he should have put the ball on the try line to give ourselves a chance to win. But his partner in crime wasn’t there. His partner in crime through the ball over the sideline.

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“… Cleary can play off the back foot and he can play off the front foot. Luai can’t. He needs everything going the right way and it wasn’t going the right way.”

Rothfield said Queensland’s ability to shut the star Panthers halves duo down may have provided a blueprint for teams in the NRL this season.

“That was the first thing I thought last night when I watched that Blues side being dismantled,” Rothfield said.

“This the way someone’s going to upset Penrith this year are they going to bustle them and play tough and get in their faces and stop that kicking game.”