WHY JUMPING JEREMIAH IS BUILT FOR ORIGIN
HE leaps. He catches. He scores. Jumping Jeremiah Nanai, North Queensland’s 19-year-old backrower, has made it a habit this season.
Displaying aerial skills more akin to outside backs such as Daniel Tupou, and in earlier days Israel Folau, Nanai has already snaffled four tries with gazelle-like jumps to pluck Tom Dearden and Chad Townsend bombs from the clouds.
The 186cm, 104kg forward’s other two tries this year were from chasing grubbers, where the ball disappeared into his mitts like a giant clam gobbling up anything in its orbit. Cowboys coach Todd Payten has a fair idea of why that is. “Jeremiah has massive hands for a 19year-old,” Payten chuckles.
“I’ve got big hands myself, but when I shake his they just disappear and are completely swallowed up, so I can understand why he is catching balls and scoring tries like he is.
“He is pretty handy with the basketball downstairs as well. I see him carving up our other players all the time.” Nanai provides another reason for his agility. “I enjoyed playing volleyball a lot when I was a kid. That’s where I get t h a t jumping a b i l i t y from,” he says. “It’s a s p o r t w h e r e you’ve got to leap high in the air and I liked spiking the ball too.
“Basketball is one I’ve always liked. I’d be a small forward in that game, but I reckon I’d be pretty good if I ever got to play professionally.”
Why Origin is on the cards
Nanai recently pledged his allegiance to the Maroons and Australia although he did qualify to play for New Zealand, and through his heritage still will for Samoa as a designated second-tier nation.
Queensland, however, has been home for most of his life, with Nanai representing the state in age divisions and being involved in the emerging Origin program.
“Yes, I would love to play for Queensland one day. When I was young I’d watch Origin closely and followed Queensland when most of my family supported NSW,” he says.
“I looked up to the game changers like Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston. Hopefully, one day I can do the same in the Maroons jersey.”
With Dragons back-rower Jaydn SU’A set to miss Origin I with a syndesmosis injury and Titans powerhouse David Fifita out for at least a month with a grade two MCL sprain, the door has opened for Nanai to make his Origin debut.
“It is well within Jeremiah’s capabilities,” Payten says. “The really talented kids can handle it with the better players around them. We saw that last year with Hamiso (Tabuai-fidow) who after eight games at centre for us, even though he is not really a centre, came out and played really well in the Origin arena.”
Asides from being a bullseye target in the air for the Cowboys halves, Payten explains the other qualities that Nanai is bringing to the table.
“He is playing above his years, understands the game and can also read numbers,” Payten says.
“Jeremiah is a back-rower who can run over you, but also outsmart you with sleight of hand or pre-line passing or offloading off the ball … and that’s a real weapon to have in your team.
“He has that game awareness of how to get into the game and play to his strengths, and the team is getting to know how to use his strengths.”
A competitor from the outset
Todd Wilson coached the breakout back-rower at Townsville’s Kirwan State High, and he still has a go-to clip of the 16-10 NRL Schoolboy Cup national final win over Westfields Sports High in 2019 that is Nanai in a nutshell.
“It’s a great highlight reel of Jeremiah. Westfields have a tap 40m out with 20 seconds to go and an opportunity to tie the game,” Wilson says.
“They shift the ball and Jeremiah comes out of the line, puts pressure on and they drop it. Then he kicks it through, chases and kicks again … and the hooter goes. It was just fitting that he was the one competing when the final whistle goes.”