After news surfaced yesterday that star Penrith Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary will miss at least three weeks of action as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, the buzz quickly turned to his replacement - Sean O'Sullivan - and what we should expect from the man of the moment.
O'Sullivan's fellow halves partner, Jarome Luai, has come out today and told the media that while Cleary will certainly be missed, the New South Wales State of Origin five-eighths role will not change.
Luai credits this confidence to not only the culture and system Penrith has in place but the way in which O'Sullivan has bought in.
"It doesn't really much change at all (Luai’s role). Sully's come in and done a great job. He’s really bought into our culture and systems... He’s really fitted into Nate’s shoes really well," Luai told the Panthers media.
"There's no real expectations, he has come into this pre-season and done an awesome job and he’s training really well and I know he is going to get the job done.
"We have got a lot of faith in him and what he can do, he’s a really good bloke and ready to put my body on the line for him and the rest of the team."
O'Sullivan, who’s just 23-years-old, joined the Panthers during the off-season on a year deal.
A Penrith junior, having captained the club to an SG-Ball grand final back in 2016, Sean has had stints at the Roosters, where he made his NRL debut in 2018, Broncos and Warriors totalling 21 first-grade appearances.
O’Sullivan and the Panthers go up against the lethal attack of Tom Trbojevic and the Manly Sea-Eagles on Thursday night, and while Penrith dominated the seasons series last year (2-0), the Premiers will put faith in the young half to keep the ship afloat until the captain returns.
