They last combined in the halves more than a decade ago when they were carving up Queensland in their high school touch football days.
But now Jarome Luai and Nicho Hynes are preparing to link up once more, this time in the State of Origin arena and with plenty on the line — both as a team and as individuals.
While they have taken different roads to get back to this point, both Luai and Hynes would be the first to admit their last appearance in the sky blue jersey did not end the way they hoped.
For Luai, he was dropped ahead of Game 3 last year, declaring earlier in the month that he “didn’t leave the jersey the way” he “wanted to”.
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That was also especially true for Hynes, who was selected by former Blues coach Brad Fittler on the bench for Game 1 of last year’s series and subsequently dumped after a limited showing which saw him only take to the field after an injury to Tom Trbojevic.
Hynes told reporters earlier this week there are “no scars” left over from that disappointing Origin debut, although speaking to foxsports.com.au this summer the Sharks halfback did concede it “hurt a lot”.
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“Him telling me I was in the team for the first Origin after the Knights game in Coffs Harbour, [it] went from the highest of highs to a week after being at the lowest of lows,” Hynes said.
“I don’t blame Freddy for it, I blame myself for a lot of it. Could there have been a clearer plan? Could I have trained there more during the week? Yeah, probably.
“But I need to make sure I put ownership on it myself to go and be better there.”
It is a similar situation for Hynes on Wednesday night, with Mitchell Moses now back from injury and every chance of putting himself back in the frame for selection should the Cronulla playmaker struggle in the series opener.
Matty Johns said earlier in the week that this is a “huge series for Nicho and his career”, while former Queensland halfback Cooper Cronk had simple advice for Hynes on the mistake he needs to avoid making.
“For Nicho, up until the weekend against Penrith, he absolutely did everything right,” Cronk said on ‘The Matty Johns Podcast’.
“But what I would say to Nicho is, ‘Mate, your mental temperament in this game is what is going to get you to the finish line. Don’t try win it in the first 10 or 15 minutes. Make sure you’re driving this team, getting them in a good position and when you see that moment in the 68th minute, don’t hold back. Go for it’.
“If he tries to win it and play this fancy style of play, it’s not really him in the New South Wales team. He might be able to do that at the Sharks because he’s got everything around him.
“In Origin and rep teams you’ve got to get everyone on the same page quickly and the key for him is to make sure he has an opportunity to win this game late, not lose it in the first 10 minutes.”
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It seems like something Hynes is aware of though, having told foxsports.com.au earlier in the year that he made the mistake of going out of his way to try prove a point after being dropped from Origin.
“A couple of weeks after Origin I probably went out and tried to prove everyone wrong and play on my own and not bring my team with me,” Hynes said.
“I wasn’t playing my best footy… and I’m lucky it only took a couple of weeks to snap out of it.”
For the most part Hynes has been one of the league’s most in-form halfbacks this year and while obviously he has benefited from the injuries to Moses and Nathan Cleary, there is also little doubting the Dally M medallist ultimately put himself in the frame for selection.
The same goes for Luai, who has had a very different season to Hynes, starting out slow before really stepping up in the fortnight without regular halves partner Cleary.
It is a reality Luai will quickly get used to next season with the Tigers, where he is expected to be the more senior playmaker against the promising but inexperienced Lachie Galvin.
Luai doesn’t necessarily seem like the right sort of fit for that role on the surface, having made a name for himself in the league with his silky skills and fast feet — qualities that typically lend themselves to playing five-eighth.
And Luai has typically thrived in that role at Penrith, playing off the back of Cleary as he works in and out of structure, meeting defenders with a hop, a skip and a jump as opposed to the more direct style his halves partner plays with.
But Luai looked the closest he had ever been to a genuine halfback in Penrith’s 42-0 demolition of Cronulla, forcing three dropouts as he took control without Cleary and proved he belonged in the Origin arena once more.
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“He obviously took a lot of tips from Clez,” teammate Brian To’o told foxsports.com.au this week.
“Clez was helping him out the whole weekend but to see Romes do his thing and lead by example, he obviously had a little bit of doubt without Clez, so it was pretty cool to see him run the show, get all the boys involved and play his best footy.”
“It was awesome,” added Liam Martin.
“I think he’s really stepped up with Nathan being out. He’s sort of taken that responsibility and I think he’s handled it brilliantly. You sort of see him every time he gets a chance to lead a team, even with Samoa, he does a fantastic job and it suits him perfectly.”
That hasn’t always been the expectation of Luai though but now 27 years old and playing his seventh season in the NRL, that extra responsibility is something the Blues five-eighth now finds himself gravitating towards.
In fact, Luai has gone from being dropped for Game 3 of last year’s series to emerging as a key part of NSW’s new era under Michael Maguire, elevated to the team’s leadership group.
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“I have got to know Madge even before camp, and he sees that [leadership] in me, which is really special for myself,” Luai told reporters at Blues camp on Thursday.
“That’s a step where I want to get better at. I not only want to lead with my footy brain and voice, but also my actions as well.
“He pretty much said, ‘Be yourself’, and it will just flow on to the rest of the group. It’s pretty cool.
“Experience is one part of it but I think being a half and getting older and obviously playing a lot of big games and playing with younger players at the Panthers now, they look up to me.
“I do know footy well. I think the energy I bring off, I want to help other players become their best as well and reach their full potential.
“That’s a big part of my game, and somebody I want to be remembered as.”
This was a different side of Luai — a more mature and introspective side, conscious of where he is at this stage of his career and where he wants to be in the next stage too.
It is why the move to the Tigers was so appealing, not just for the extra money but also the added responsibility that came with that reported $6 million price tag.
In simpler terms, the chance to prove himself.
Luai has another opportunity to do that on Wednesday too and he has come into this year’s Origin camp under Maguire with a different mindset.
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“It’s been a good time that I’ve had to reflect on what I could have done better in camp and my approach to it all,” Luai said.
“Being a part of the leadership group has really motivated me and I’ve just come into camp ready to just lay it all on the line and really willing to work and make sure I’m at my best.
“I think I’ve been a victim of just coming into camp and just enjoying my time, soaking it all up. It’s important to do that but also knowing it’s a time to work hard and step it up a gear because this is the toughest arena in our game.”
It is consistent with what Panthers and Blues teammate To’o told reporters on Wednesday, revealing Luai had come into the 2024 season with a “better mindset”.
“He always wanted to really nail down the little things and really worked hard to earn that spot back,” To’o said.
“He has really gone to a different level taking control of the team and putting us in the right direction.”
Now Luai has taken that into the State of Origin arena too, proof that he is starting to think about himself and his standing in the game differently.
It is exactly what Tigers fans would want to hear and what Penrith fans would want to hear too as the defending premiers look to make it four-straight premierships.
But right now, as Luai reminded reporters on Thursday, his focus is solely on the Blues. Just another example of the clarity with which the 27-year-old is thinking.
“This is the mindset I’ve come in with,” Luai added.
“I don’t want to come in here and take my foot off the pedal and enjoy himself. I want to step it up a notch and really drive what Madge wants in this team.
“I don’t look at Game 3 last year as a mistake. I look at it as a learning curve for myself.”