Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary is wary of the impact the 2021 Origin series could have as the NRL front runners prepare for possibly their highest representation in club history.
Cleary is no stranger to the Ampol State of Origin arena but is the only player in the current squad who has endured the physical and mental toll of a three-game series played in the middle of the year.
Cleary told NRL.com in August last year of his relief that the 2020 Origin series had been pushed back to November given the emotional drain previous campaigns in 2018 and 2019 had taken on him.
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PJ Marsh drew the curtain on his professional rugby league career in 2010.
But the game he played at the highest level for close to a decade still continues to provide opportunities and deliver accolades.
The 40 year old was recently named in the Deadly Maroons Indigenous 40-year Origin Team, alongside the likes of Arthur Beetson, Johnathan Thurston, Greg Inglis and Justin Hodges
(see full team below).
The champion hooker, who made four appearances for Queensland, said it was incredible to be included in the star-studded line-up.
“To be named in that side was amazing,” Marsh said. “Some of the names in there… wow, to be among them is something pretty special.
Ex-Queensland star Justin Hodges believes Wayne Bennett's success with the Maroons in 2020 has eased the pressure on whoever steps in to the role this year.