Best instincts ever: Cleary in awe of Turbo's feel for game

Nathan Cleary is all too happy to let Tom Trbojevic shove him out of first receiver when Origin is on the line because the fullback-turned-centre-turned-everywhere-man has the best footballing instincts he has ever seen.

Trbojevic's apparently unparalleled "feel for the game" propelled him to a second State of Origin hat-trick on Wednesday night as he popped up on Latrell Mitchell's left edge more times in the 80-minute carve-up than he did during the Blues' 10 days of preparation.

To a man NSW beat their Queensland opponents all ends up in the 50-6 game-one thrashing.

But Trbojevic stood tallest among them all to claim best on ground honours, thanks to what Cleary declared the best rugby league instincts he's ever encountered.

"Turbo, his feel for the game is the best I've ever seen," Cleary said of the Manly maestro who was named at right centre, but could be just as often found at first receiver.

"His feel for the game, he knows where to pop up at the right time.

"I think he ended up twice on the left setting up tries and then he's backing up scoring tries. He's an absolute freak and I've never seen anything like it.

"I just let him go [at first receiver], if there's a quick play-the-ball he's getting over the advantage and you let him go. I just try and keep up and support him."

To put Trbojevic's Townsville theatrics into perspective, Telstra Tracker data shows his 7227 metres of running was just one less than fullback James Tedesco, a comparison virtually unheard of between centres and custodians.

In the same fashion, Trbojevic's 24 touches of the ball against Queensland were roughly double the usual amount of action (12-16 touches) an NRL centre typically racks up in a game.

With Tedesco, Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell ranking among the game's elite No.1s, Brad Fittler has exploited that rare luxury by giving Trbojevic a roving licence in the Origin arena.

Doubling down on Cleary's claims about the 23-year-old's impressive instincts, Trbojevic told NRL.com his lobbing up on the left is largely unrehearsed.

"Things probably weren't planned to work out that way no," Trbojevic said of him and Mitchell lining up side-by-side on multiple occasions.

"But that was Freddie's message to me, if I saw something in the middle it was my job to go for it.

"It doesn't really happen that way in training. Maybe a couple of times all week?

"It's just how a game of footy goes and it's just the way that style of footy goes. When you're playing that support style you can go anywhere and have to be ready to."

As he has been his entire career, Trbojevic was deferential to a tee after NSW's record win.

He rightly pointed to the first-class platform laid by a dominant pack, and stressed if NSW halfback Cleary does want the ball, he gets priority.

Asked whether he ever worries about overplaying his roving role, Trbojevic said: "There is a thought about it, but there's no doubt about who's in charge.

"Nath controls the footy team. If he calls the footy he gets it. I'm just the support play in that situation.

"I'm talking the whole time, that's the key really. If you did it quietly you'd probably stuff it up so the talk is probably the most important bit.

"That was the best platform I think we've had in Origin from our forwards that I've played in.

"If we're not rolling forward we're not able to come in-field like that and the front foot, quick-play-the balls are what really sets up the breaks we got. That's where the credit really goes."