By Adrian Proszenko and Michael Chammas
Aged 25, Nathan Cleary is already being discussed as one of the greatest halfbacks to have played the game.Credit: Getty
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Days after Penrith’s third consecutive victory lap, Ivan Cleary still had not fully come to terms with what had transpired.
“I feel like the light was shining on us a bit on Sunday,” Cleary says of the grand final.
It shone brightest on his son, Nathan.
Even good judges, who had a knack for managing the biggest of games – Andrew Johns, Johnathan Thurston and Darren Lockyer among them – had never seen a final quarter of dominance quite like it.
Which is why Cleary snr watched those 20 minutes – and the reaction to them – several times over, in an attempt to “work out what happened”.
“I looked back at some footage and some of the interviews and the feedback, guys like Locky and JT [Thurston] and Joey [Johns],” Cleary snr says. “The way they are talking about him, it’s very surreal and very cool.”
Cleary, at the age of just 25, has already achieved considerably more in his NRL career than the aforementioned trio at the same age. Given Johns is an Immortal and the Queensland pair are very much in line for the honour, Cleary will leave them all behind if his career continues on its current trajectory.
“No comparison. He’s achieved far more than me at that age,” says Thurston, who was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame during the week, with his trademark chuckle.
“Barring injuries, he’s probably still got another eight or nine years to go. He’s done it all and the sky’s the limit for him.”
Nathan Cleary is mobbed by teammates after scoring what proved to be the match-winning try in this year’s grand final.Credit: Getty
Yet, at no point during Nathan’s formative football years did his father think he had a megastar sitting across the dining table.
“No, I didn’t, no,” Ivan says.
“He was solid – he was always good at the solid parts of the game: he always made his tackles, he always ran, he was courageous, he dived on loose balls, he was a good teammate.
“He was fit, he loved the game and I think that was a good foundation for him. The higher the grades he went up, the more valuable that stuff became.”
Solid? Even when picked to make his interstate debut – “He made Origin and didn’t even tell us”, Ivan recalls – that was the adjective most often used to describe him. In Nathan, the Blues selected a game manager, not a game breaker.
Yet, the Nathan Cleary who broke Brisbane hearts in last Sunday’s grand final didn’t manage the game – he owned it.
The contrast between the final 20 minutes of the match and the 20 minutes that preceded it couldn’t have been more stark. Known as one of the most effective defensive halves in the NRL, Cleary missed crucial tackles that helped gift the Broncos a 24-8 lead. It appeared a match-winning advantage, even more so when halves partner Jarome Luai succumbed to a shoulder injury and Isaah Yeo and Scott Sorensen came off for head injury assessments.
Just as the engravers were preparing to etch Brisbane’s name onto the premiership trophy, Cleary jnr etched his name into league folklore.
First, a line break that led to an assist for a Moses Leota try. Then a 40-20, on just the third tackle, in what Johns described as “the most courageous play of the night”. He had a hand in the next try, too, and then knocked over the sideline conversion for good measure. This was the reason he had practised his goal kicking at an empty Accor Stadium during the week.
When opposing No.7 Adam Reynolds misjudged a line dropout, our hero had the wherewithal to position himself in just the right spot to earn a penalty.
And then a play that was equal parts Michael Jordan and Tom Brady, considered the best closers of them all. When nerves and fatigue had come over the combatants, Cleary scored a solo try to seal the greatest comeback in grand final history.
If all of that isn’t enough, he did it virtually on one leg. So serious was the knee injury he sustained early in the match, the halfback was on Wednesday ruled out of the Kangaroos team for the season-ending Test matches.
Nathan Cleary celebrates with his teammates after the grand final.Credit: Getty
“Solid” no longer cut it when Thurston was scrambling for adjectives. Informed of the praise heaped upon him, Nathan remains humble.
“It’s pretty cool, it means a lot,” he says.
“There was so much that went into that 20 minutes outside of just my performance. Just from a team’s perspective, just the belief and a never-say-die attitude.
“It was a very crazy 20 minutes. But it’s pretty cool to be a part of such a great game as well. A lot of the reports after the game was just everyone was in shock … It was one of the great grand finals, so it’s cool to be on the right side of it.”
On an almost weekly basis, Nathan Cleary’s manager is inundated with endorsement offers. Some of them are of the six-figure variety. Just about all of them are knocked back.
Already on a $1.3 million contract with the Panthers, Nathan could add considerably to the total if he chased marketing dollars. However, the two-time Clive Churchill medallist, a self-confessed footy nerd, doesn’t want anything to distract him from becoming a better player.
“He loves footy, he puts so much work into it,” Ivan says.
“That’s sort of what I thought; if anyone deserves a big moment, it’s him. He puts so much work into it, he learns from all his experiences, good and bad.
“He throws himself out there, puts himself out there all the time. Whenever you’re playing halfback, particularly in this day and age where they just get judged and the scrutiny is so heavy, he’s had to wear some bad times there.
“But he just puts himself out there and that’s where greatness [is]; if you don’t do that, you’ll never achieve greatness.
“I’m just so proud of him and looking forward to spending the next few years with him.”
In an interview with this masthead during grand final week, Nathan was asked to create the perfect player. This comprised the short-kicking game of Daly Cherry-Evans, the big boot of Matt Burton, the vision of Cody Walker, the tactical nous of Adam Reynolds, the stamina of Clint Gutherson and the defence of Jake Trbojevic.
He could well have been describing himself. The 25-year-old is an amalgam of them all, as close to a complete footballer as there is.
Nathan and Ivan Cleary with the Provan-Summons trophy.Credit: Getty
When they talk about the greatest halfbacks of all, at just the midpoint of his career, Nathan is in the conversation.
“I feel like Nathan’s got a bit of JT [Thurston] in him, just in terms of competitiveness and finding ways to win games or get involved,” Ivan says.
“I put Locky in that [conversation]; he wasn’t a seven but, man, he was incredible.
“I unfortunately had to play against him for a long time.
“It’s hard to make out the best because they’re all so good. And you’ll never be able to say who the actual best is.
“Just the fact that we’re talking about this, it’s pretty cool.”
Immortal status is the greatest honour that can be bestowed upon a rugby league player. Only 13 have reached that lofty status in the 115 years the game has been played. Thurston is adamant Cleary will be in the mix when he retires.
“Without a doubt,” Thurston says. “Halfbacks don’t come into their best until 28-29. He’s doing what he’s been doing for the last three or four years.
“He has come along in that game management a lot earlier than most halfbacks do at that age.
“That’s the biggest thing, knowing how to close games out and knowing how to get this side back in the game. [What he did in the grand final] is game management; getting a side back into the contest and winning a game off your own back. It’s a team sport, but if Cleary is off there’s no way they get close. It was mind-blowing how it all unfolded.”
Nathan made his NRL debut late in the 2016 season, under the coaching of Anthony Griffin. Cleary jnr says his father would have held him back had he been in charge at the time.
“That’s true,” Ivan says. “Everything happens for a reason.
“I believe that was a good thing. I didn’t think it was the time.”
Their time is now. And there’s nothing to suggest it will end soon.
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