A coffee meeting with his childhood idol, Daly Cherry-Evans, gave Tom Dearden the belief that he belonged in the Origin arena and the 22-year-old wants more after a stunning debut in place of Cameron Munster.
Dearden was called in to deputise for arguably the NRL’s best player after Munster was ruled out with COVID and the Cowboys five-eighth said he had to pinch himself as he ran out for Wednesday night’s Origin series decider at Suncorp Stadium.
However, Dearden credited Cherry-Evans for ensuring he felt comfortable on the game’s biggest stage after the pair had met for a coffee to discuss his role almost immediately upon learning that Munster had returned a positive PCR test.
We had a crazy Friday
“Once we heard that Munny was out we decided to go and have coffee because I am a different type of player to Munny, and I wanted to make that clear so we were on the same page when we got out on the field,” Dearden said.
“He just spoke about keeping my job simple and focusing on the team. He said he would get the team around the park and I could run the footy, and do whatever, off the back of that.”
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Cherry-Evans said the meeting confirmed to him that Dearden was the right man to step into Munster’s shoes.
“As soon as we knew he was playing we went for a coffee and he asked as many questions as he could, just to feel comfortable,” the Maroons skipper said.
“Straight away I knew from the smiles and the nods he was giving me that he was going to be alright.”
Dearden laid on the opening try of the match for North Queensland team-mate Valentine Holmes, ran 103 metres with the ball and made 29 tackles as the Blues targeted him in defence.
Cowboy delight as Holmes gets the opener
However, it was the work he did off the ball that impressed his team-mates and Maroons coach Billy Slater the most.
“I pride myself on those little effort areas and competing on kick chase and doing those things. 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.
“I have been here [in camp] throughout the whole series so I knew exactly what they expect of their players who play for Queensland. Billy was really clear what my job was and he made it very simple.
“When I looked left and right, and saw the players around me, it just made it all that more comfortable out there."
DCE: 'We did it again'
Dearden played on the left side of the ruck, with Cherry-Evans on the right, and he described the 33-year-old as a childhood hero and one of Queensland's greatest halfbacks.
“I thought Daly Cherry-Evans was unreal for us tonight. He is a true Queenslander and he is one of the greats to wear that No.7 jersey, even considering the players who have played there before him," Dearden said.
“I thought it was really special to see him captain us to a win tonight with a lot of pressure on him to hold that No.7 jersey. It is an absolute privilege to be able to run on and play alongside him.
Slater full of praise for Dearden
"He played at Brothers in Mackay, which is my junior club. He is someone I looked up to as a kid growing up, and also the coaching staff as well. I looked up to all of them.
"It is pretty surreal and I have to pinch myself sometime when you are getting coached by those coaches and you are taking the field with Daly Cherry-Evans, it is a special moment."
Maroons hooker Ben Hunt praised Dearden for the manner in which he had been able to step in for Munster and help Queensland to one of their greatest Origin victories.
"He had a really good game and I told him after the game that he wasn’t coming in for a nobody, he came in for Cameron Munster – one of the best in the game – and I thought he did a really good job," Hunt said.
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