Casey McLean is going places – fast.
And much to the joy of everyone involved with New Zealand rugby league, he will be doing it in a Kiwis jumper. The 19-year-old, who has had one of the most impressive introductions to test footy in the history of the sport, with seven tries in his first three internationals, is clearly a special talent. And the Penrith centre, like many NRL players, had different representative options.
He was born and raised in Sydney, after his parents emigrated from New Zealand. He grew up in the Australian system, featured in various representative schoolboy teams and played in the New South Wales Under-19 State of Origin side last year, alongside his brother Jesse. So when the call came from Kiwis coach Stacey Jones last year, McLean had a decision to make. While the possibility of featuring in the senior State of Origin series one day had crossed his mind, the choice in the end was “pretty easy”.
“It came down to my family,” McLean told the Herald. “That’s a big factor as to why I play this game. I didn’t get the luxury of growing up back in the motherland in New Zealand but I suppose my way of representing my family and my whole whānau was to represent where I come from. I talked to Mum and Dad and they just said, at the end of the day, you’ve got to make that decision. From there my mind was pretty much made up.”
Despite growing up surrounded by Aussie kids, McLean has always had reminders of his heritage, from the annual trips home to see extended family, to watching the Kiwis and Warriors on television. Along the way, there was some ribbing from his schoolmates – but not too much.
“It’s just how I was growing up – you got to be proud of where you come from,” McLean said. “I didn’t really mind if I was the one that didn’t want to go for the same team as everyone else.”
McLean doesn’t have to look far for inspiration. His father Willie was a standout in domestic league, first for Marist Saints, then Waitākere City Raiders in the Lion Red Cup. He represented New Zealand Residents and Auckland before a chance with North Sydney Bears, where he spent three seasons between 1997 and 1999. He also featured in a rest of the world selection against Australia, playing alongside the likes of Gary Connolly, Jason Robinson and Craig Innes.
“Dad came over for footy,” McLean said. “Mum is from Taupō and she had come over for a job opportunity and they met near North Sydney, which is cool.”
Casey’s uncle is Alex Chan, who turned out for Parramatta, Melbourne and the Kiwis among other teams, while his cousin is current Storm edge player Joe Chan.
Before the Pacific Championships last year, Jones picked McLean after seven NRL games. McLean hadn’t featured in the playoffs – he was back in reserve grade – but Jones liked what he saw, while Panthers’ coach Ivan Cleary backed up that judgment. Privately, Jones was touting McLean as a unique talent.
That view was vindicated with his remarkable debut when he scored four tries against Papua New Guinea and produced a dazzling assist. At 18 years and 200 days he was the third youngest to play for the Kiwis, after Dennis Williams and Thomas Leuluai, and only the second to notch a quadruple in his first match, after Brian Jellick in 1999. As well as his movement, footwork and physical presence, his composure stood out.
“It took me a while to wrap my head around it,” said McLean, who admits things have happened faster than expected. “Even now, playing international footy, it’s still a surreal experience for me. Especially around the likes of Fish, Taps, Foz and all those older boys that I grew up idolising, thinking it would be cool if I could just get a single game under my belt, let alone keep it going.”
On the evidence of this year’s Pacific Championships, McLean will be a fixture for years. He was brilliant in the opening 24-18 win over Samoa, with two superb tries and plenty of involvement, before another eye-catching display in last Sunday’s victory over Tonga, with the long-range break that led to the Kiwis’ first try, before plucking a Dylan Brown bomb out of the sky in the second half for another one. He plays with a maturity and skill that belies his youth.
“It comes down to our training,” said McLean. “For both games everyone individually prepped really well and there is confidence within one another, trusting each other. It’s knowing we’ve got our brother’s backs for the whole 80 minutes, that helps my confidence grow, I suppose.”
McLean has also gleaned plenty from his various roommates across this campaign, such as Ronaldo Mulitalo, Erin Clark and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
“You learn a lot from those guys,” said McLean.
Sunday’s final will be the biggest challenge yet. Samoa have a stacked team and have improved considerably since the first clash, where their second-half surge came too late. But the Kiwis are a strong combination, with probably the best all-round pack in the competition.
“We’d have to go to another level,” said McLean. “It’s going to be a different battle but if we just stick to what we do best and our strengths it’ll be a really good game.”
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.