Advertisement

Nathan Cleary moves mountains to become NRL grand final's main protagonist

<span>Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images</span>
Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

There is a curious irony in the fact that, six months after Nathan Cleary almost put paid to the NRL season’s restart, he is now integral to positively shaping its outcome.

April’s TikTok episode may as well have transpired before the age of social media, so long ago does it seem that the Penrith playmaker breached the competition’s Covid-19 protocols. Since then, lies have been told and untold, Dally M points docked and undocked, and his self-described “irresponsible, selfish and pretty stupid” misdemeanour replaced with diligence and poise – even if he did not win the league’s best and fairest award.

Related: NRL set up for memorable finish to already unforgettable season | Nick Tedeschi

Even without the Dally M, Cleary is certain to be a protagonist in his club’s first grand final since 2003. Sunday’s decider, against Melbourne Storm, will be the 22-year-old’s first finale, full stop. It will also mark his 100th NRL outing, and it could yet be an 80 minutes that make him and coach Ivan Cleary the second father-son combination to win a premiership, after the John and Martin Lang Penrith pairing did it in 2003.

Part of the beauty is that it is impossible to know. Not only because a Cameron Smith-led Storm rarely offer a straightforward ride, but also that, to a certain degree, this year’s rule changes have thrown the halves formula out the window and forced inhibition out with it. It has opened up room for the visceral, a frightening but potentially wondrous prospect depending on the player.

In 2019 Clearly was a good, albeit more conservative, halfback. This year, fans have witnessed a new equilibrium in their No 7. It came in the form of tempo changes to his running game that have engendered indecision in the most experienced of defenders, in the vision to see a play before it happens, and in the confidence to execute it.

One contributing factor has been a mentality shift. “Last year was pretty tough,” Cleary said last month. “There were lots of ups and downs. My form definitely wasn’t where it need to be. I’ve done a fair bit of work on [my] mind, and trying to prioritise who I listen to, and whose opinions mean something to me.”

Nathan Cleary
Cleary lost out to Jack Wighton for this year’s Dally M medal. Photograph: Getty Images

Cliche dictates “there is no I in team”, and the Panthers have emerged from the depths of 2019 as a unit, finishing five points clear at the top of the ladder with an unprecedented 15 straight wins – a grand final triumph would make it 18 on the hop – thanks to attacking sparks all over the field and a defence which has conceded a league-low regular-season 238 points.

Halves partner Jarome Luai has filled the departed James Maloney’s boots to the brim. Isaah Yeo’s bright individual play effectively ended South Sydney’s season in Saturday’s preliminary final. Hooker Api Koroisau might be the club’s purchase of the season. Keeping together a team of such talent will no doubt be a task for the club hierarchy in the off-season.

But there were also mountains moved by one young man. It occurred in June when Cleary, suffering from a face infection, sat in hospital on a drip some 24 hours before his round-seven man-of-the-match display against the Rabbitohs. And again the following month, when he practically willed his off-colour side past the Cowboys and on to the ladder’s summit.

Related: Panthers into NRL grand final after equalling win record against Rabbitohs

In their qualifying final win over the Roosters, Cleary scored 21 of Penrith’s 29 points, including a clutch 78th-minute field goal that ultimately separated the sides 29-28. His haul – three tries, four goals and one field goal – was one point short of Greg Alexander’s 22-point plunder, the club record for a finals game. In TikTok parlance, it was #inspirational.

Panthers skipper James Tamou has since taken to eulogising, extolling his teammate as an Immortal in waiting in the mould of Johnathan Thurston. At 15 years Thurston’s junior, Cleary has ample time to achieve it.

The best things seem to come in twos for Penrith, who have won the grand final in both seasons they claimed the minor premiership – 1991 and 2003. Those teams consummated regular-season success with two accomplished halfbacks in former skipper Alexander and Craig Gower, one who won a Dally M, in 1985, and another who probably would have in 2003 but for a cancelled ceremony.

The stage is set for Cleary, now it is just a question of how his Panthers fare in the #bigdancechallenge.