Blues brothers: How new age bonding session united NSW stars

Blues players are embracing Indigenous culture after a new-age Origin bonding session and believe it has united them ahead of Wednesday night’s series opener at Adelaide Oval.

The NSW players have been performing an Indigenous chant at training or their team hotel that grew out of a team dinner in which the current Blues stars were joined by former Origin greats.

For the past players, as well as the NSW coaching staff of Brad Fittler, Paul McGregor, Andrew Johns, Danny Buderus, Greg Alexander and Paul Sironen, it must have seemed a long way removed from the boozy bonding sessions that Origin camps were renowned for.

Instead, the NSW players sung songs and celebrated each other’s culture during a night they say has bought them closer together.

“I can guarantee you want to tackle more for your mate next to you if you know more about him and you respect him,” Hynes said.

Besides Hynes and Indigenous All Stars team-mates Josh Addo-Carr and Latrell Mitchell, who was ruled out on Monday with a calf strain, the Blues have players with a variety of heritages, including:

• Samoa – Junior Paulo, Jarome Luai, Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton, Payne Haas
• Tonga – Tevita Pangai jnr, Tyson Frizell, Stefano Utoikamanu
• Italy – James Tedesco
• Serbia – Tom Trbojevic
• Ukraine – Nathan Cleary, Hudson Young

As the night wore on, the players learned the Indigenous chant performed by Hynes, Addo-Carr and Mitchell, and the Blues have now adopted it.

“With the amount of different cultures that we have in the team, everyone has been getting around each other’s culture, and when we had our dinner and little team drinks we were just singing some songs and then it came about,” Hynes said.

“Romie [Luai], Critta [Crichton] and Bizza [To'o] have got their own culture, but they love our culture as well, and we just randomly did it in the team huddle and we have stuck with it.

“That is what you try to build in these camps - the connection and the love - and you get to know each other, who you are and where you come from.”

Luai said the players wanted to pay tribute to Addo-Carr, who has forced his way back into the team after being overlooked for last year’s series, and Hynes, who will make his Origin debut in Adelaide.

“It is just a natural thing, whoever feels it just chips in,” Luai said. “It is a team bonding thing, we have got a good connection in this Blues team and hopefully that helps us this Wednesday.

“Having Foxy back in this team is a big energy boost for the boys. We gee the boys up just to be themselves and spread that good energy. Big Nicho as well is part of that too. We love pumping up the boys.”

Hynes, who has been learning the haka since playing alongside the likes of Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Nelson Asofa-Solomoma and Jahrome Hughes at the Storm, will revert to the utility role that launched his career in Melbourne.

“I wouldn’t have started my NRL career if I wasn’t a utility value player,” Hynes said. “The Storm put me on the bench after a few games at fullback and I had to cover all those positions.

“I played in the middle, played in the centres one game, even on the wing once and a bit of lock. I have played it all before, it is just at a new level now, but I have just got to make sure I work hard.

“It’s not just hooker, I have been practicing in the centres and fullback and in the halves.

"I just want to make sure I get to know all of the positions and all of my team-mates and how they want the ball. At any stage someone in a position I am able to play might need to go off.”