Tom Dearden

Queensland five-eighth Tom Dearden made his State of Origin debut on Wednesday, looking every bit a veteran at...

"It's a credit to him and his family of the type of guy he is to turn his career around." "He's a true Queenslander and he's one of the greats to wear that No.7 jersey, even considering the players that have played there before him," Dearden said. Instead, Slater threw Dearden in at the deep end and the North Queensland playmaker thrived, putting in a performance that was beyond his tender years.

Maroons rookie Tom Dearden credited Daly Cherry-Evans for ensuring he felt comfortable on the game's biggest stage after being called into replace Cameron ...

We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on. It is an absolute privilege to be able to run on and play alongside him. I looked up to all of them. I try to do that every week for the Cowboys and getting out on the big stage I think it becomes even more important," Dearden said. “He just spoke about keeping my job simple and focusing on the team. Many features on the site, such as video playback, may not work properly when using adblocking software.

At the start of the 2022 season, Tom Dearden playing State of Origin wasn't even in the equation.

"He has proven himself at that level so when that time comes that either a Daly Cherry-Evans or a Ben Hunt decide to retire, that he is the next cab off the rank. Dearden will likely struggle to make the side next year, given the fact Daly Cherry-Evans is the captain and Munster will be back from COVID. But not only did the 21-year-old come in for his first Origin appearance, in a decider, at a sold out Suncorp Stadium - but he helped lead his state to a 22-12 victory. "The confidence he gave me, he said ‘I won’t let you down’ and he didn’t." And while replacing arguably the best player in the game in Cameron Munster for a decider was never going to be easy, QLD coach Billy Slater said he never doubted Dearden after informing him of his debut. After being chewed up and spat out by the Broncos, if you told the young playmaker he would represent the Maroons this early in his career, he probably would have told you to pinch him or laughed back at you.

Queensland five-eighth Tom Dearden made his State of Origin debut on Wednesday, looking every bit a veteran at...

"It's a credit to him and his family of the type of guy he is to turn his career around." "He's a true Queenslander and he's one of the greats to wear that No.7 jersey, even considering the players that have played there before him," Dearden said. Instead, Slater threw Dearden in at the deep end and the North Queensland playmaker thrived, putting in a performance that was beyond his tender years.