Former Queensland half Ben Ikin has laid down the gauntlet to brand-new New South Wales pairing Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai ahead of Game I in Townsville.

Penrith combination Cleary and Luai have been in incredible form at the foot of the mountains with the Panthers hot favourites for the 2021 premiership.

But Ikin isn’t quite convinced.

“I think this is a genuine wait-and-see for me,” Ikin said on NRL 360.

“I just don’t know if the style that Cleary and Luai bring to club football, they will be allowed to play in State of Origin.

“It’s a different style of game, it’s a long, hard grind with limited space.

“Cleary is in the form of his career, there’s no doubting he is the best playmaker in the competition.

“But I wonder, Jarome Luai, whether his style will work in the Origin arena.”