NSW Blues head coach Laurie Daley has heaped praise on state captain Isaah Yeo, labelling him the best leader he has ever worked with.
Yeo, who has come in for plenty of criticism throughout what ultimately turned into a winning State of Origin series in 2026, had one of his best performances in blue on Wednesday evening, leading the state to a victory in Brisbane.
In the aftermath, Daley singled out his captain and said it's why Penrith have so much success.
"Just so proud of the performance. I think it was the type of performance I felt was there, and obviously we had moments in Games 1 and 2 where we played really well, but didn't do it consistently enough. That gave me great confidence coming into Game 3," Daley said during his post-match press conference.
"That was a magnificent performance tonight. To come up here and do what we did. There won't be too many who thought we could do what we did, so it was special.
"I knew the best was yet to come. I understand now why Penrith have had so much success.
"It's to do with Yeoy and Nathan. Yeoy is the best leader I've come across. He is very calm, very measured, and you can have a conversation with him man-to-man, and when you have a good relationship as leaders, you can discuss things.
"When you believe what they are telling you, and they believe what you're telling them, it works. He is empowered to do that, and it makes him a special leader. I'm very privileged to work with him."
Yeo was outstanding, playing 67 minutes and running 117 metres in the game, with 50 post-contact metres and made 38 tackles, with one missed.
He was involved as a link man in some of the Blues' early attacks, pushing past the calls for Cameron Murray to start throughout the series.
Yeo, when asked for his response to Daley's comments, heaped praise back on his coach and the playing group for ignoring what was said in the media.
"I'm uncomfortable because I don't like talking about myself, but I'm so happy for Loz. We, as a group, didn't read into anything that was said. There was so much said about him, but the onus was on us," Yeo said in response.
"We had to go and piece together an 80-minute performance and do what he had been telling us the whole series. We saw glimpses of it at the back end of Game 1 and again in Game 2, but that's why I'm so happy for Loz because everything he was instilling in us, all the trust and belief he gave us, we managed to do it under the biggest pressure at Suncorp.
"History shows over the course of however many years this is a hard place to come and win, especially in a decider. This group, that's what makes it special.
"You can be a normal team, come up and get beaten and go, it was just Suncorp, or you can be a special group, and that's exactly what we are.
"There will be stuff written. It'll say they were the better side for the first two games, but ultimately, we got them to a decider and under the most pressure, this group came up with something special.
"So much goes into it across six or seven weeks, and rightly so. It's the pinnacle of our sport. When you're winning it, that silences everything."
The deciding win in Brisbane is the second time in three years the Blues have won north of the Tweed in the last game of the series, and their third straight win in all games at the venue, once considered a fortress.
Yeo said he wasn't sure Suncorp Stadium had lost its aura, but admitted it was a place he enjoyed playing.
"I'm not sure. I just think in this environment, it's everything you could want. The crowd is on top of you. I think if you asked all of the boys, one of their favourite away games would be playing away at Suncorp because it's always got a big crowd, and the Broncos in previous years have had success," Yeo said of the stadium.
"I think anytime you come up and play them, it's an exciting atmosphere.
"I just think it's exciting. They are so passionate up here. It's exactly what you want, to play in big games.
"I'm not sure. I can't tell you what will happen next year. If we lose, they'll probably say the cauldron is back, and no one wants to come up here, but at the moment, what a place to play."
Yeo, now 31 years of age, has played 20 State of Origins for NSW.
