Opinion
Some players eat pressure. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
They are those players who want the footy in their hands when the game in on the line to be won. It is why we are so infatuated with the great players of our game. They are the highlights, they make the biggest plays of matches and seasons, and control the fortunes of the club more than other players.
It is a team sport, yes. But some plays are down to one player in the clutch, and his ability to perform: a sideline conversion, a field goal, a try they set up. Nathan Cleary debuted at 18, and virtually straight away you could tell he was a player who wanted to be there in that moment.
The entire Panthers squad has played right up to their potential this year, and it isn’t Cleary alone who is responsible. But as it so often does, their season will come down to some moments that the young man needs to nail, something he has been building to his whole career to date.
Here are five performances that show the young halfback will thrive come finals.
1. Panthers versus Raiders, finals week two, 2016
Cleary debuted as a teenager in 2016, a season that ended in a run of victories for the Panthers as they exploded into the finals series with Matt Moylan at the helm. Cleary had been consistent at halfback for the Panthers in the second half of that year. He wasn’t front and centre of their attack as he is now, but made his tackles and kicked strongly.
In week two of the finals the Panthers travelled to Canberra in a sudden-death encounter with the Raiders. Down 18-0 with time ticking away, the Panthers jagged two quick tries out wide to breathe life into the contest. In each instance the try was on the touchline, one on either side. With a packed out GIO Stadium jeering Cleary as he lined up his conversions, he nailed each one to ensure the Panthers were going up by sixes and staying in the contest.
It wasn’t to be that night, but it was Cleary doing his job to keep the team in the match and showing under pressure he could nail the big moments. In another game the Panthers could have gotten a third try and an opportunity to lock things up. It wouldn’t happen, but they were two big moments for a player who at the time was a kid.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
2. Panthers versus Roosters, Auckland Nines final, 2017
The pre-season of 2017 got under way with the Auckland Nines, with both the Roosters and Panthers sending squads over that were light on NRL experience. That was at the time of course, with some stars of today playing key roles in getting both teams to the grand final. Latrell Mitchell, Nathan Cleary, Waqa Blake, James Tamou, Isaah Yeo, Mitch Aubusson, Daniel Tupou, Joseph Manu, Ryan Matterson and Dylan Edwards were just some of the names in that grand final.
The Roosters hit an early 10-0 lead and with the clock winding down the Panthers scored an unconverted try out wide to keep their hopes alive. Then, in their own half, Nathan Cleary dummied and ran 60 metres to give the Panthers a chance to lock it up. Cleary didn’t take the drop kick himself and the conversion sailed wide.
It was foreshadowing in a way that the Panthers were going to look to Cleary for the big play. He is a deceptively good runner of the footy with a turn of pace that gave his side a chance. At the time he was 19 with a dozen or so NRL games to his name, and an inexperienced team around him, but they had found a way to stay in the tournament to the very end.
They may have been runners up but it shows that this success the Panthers have built has come from a way back and through their youth. These players who are giving them a shot at a premiership now have been competitive for a long time. And Nathan Cleary has been at the forefront for much of that time.
3. Panthers versus Warriors, 2017, Round 19
The Panthers had a horror start to 2017 that left them with just three wins from their opening ten games. It left them walking a precarious tightrope to the finals as they found some form mid-season.
Travelling to New Zealand in Round 19 they were without some key players including Matt Moylan and Peter Wallace, but they were in desperate need of a win to keep their finals flame flickering. Nathan Cleary delivered one of the most dominant performances of his young career to do just that.
That night he scored three tries of his own, with a direct hand in three others. He kicked five goals, and kicked strongly in general play all night. They also overcame having a man in the sin bin and having experienced campaigner Trent Merrin leave the field with injury.
(Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
It was an early indication of Cleary’s desire and leadership in a situation that demanded it from him at halfback. At such a young age, and with such pressure, players can be forgiven for wilting. Instead he achieved the opposite in a commanding personal display.
It was also maybe an indication that Cleary was only going to flourish when he became chief playmaker. He has treated the likes of Matt Moylan and James Maloney as experienced playmakers around him with the utmost respect, perhaps a little too much.
The success the Panthers have had this year has had a direct correlation with Cleary being that leader in the team, the dominant voice on the field, and the one with the big plays when they are needed.
4. Panthers versus Tigers, 2019, Round 4
The Panthers were desperate for a win in this one, with just the one win to start the season after going back to the future with Ivan Cleary as coach over the off-season. It wasn’t through lack of trying with some close losses hampering them in what was a controversial off-season for the mountain men.
It was a dour affair with the Tigers highly motivated to get one over their former coach who had departed with years to run on his contract. They scored two tries, but couldn’t nail any sort of goal to put more distance between themselves and the Panthers, leading 8-2 with the game in the dying stages.
Dylan Edwards scored out wide for the Panthers with Nathan Cleary needing to kick the conversion for golden point. With the siren sounding in his ears, and a packed stadium urging him on, he struck it sweetly from the sidelines much to the delight of the home fans. Then, in extra time, the halfback nailed a stunning field goal from 40 metres out to win the game.
They were two extraordinary pressure moments that he stood up and nailed in quick succession and while 2019 wasn’t a season to be for the Panthers, this was a night that has defined Cleary to date.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
5. Panthers versus Knights, 2019, Round 25
The season was over for both clubs heading into this one, and pride was the order of the day with the Knights and Panthers looking to end the year on a high.
Cleary scored four tries in a display that maybe foreshadowed the dominance of the Panthers to come in 2020. Free from the pressure of finals, and allowed to play a bit more freely, it showed as the Panthers destroyed the Knights 54-10. Some 34 of those points belonged to Cleary as he took the record of most points in a match from the Panthers away from Michael Gordon.
His tries were down to support play, and his deceptive speed when taking the line on. He is a halfback who will run and can score tries, something we have seen this season too. He is dynamic as a player, and while he can nail those individual moments, he contributes in many different ways.
The 2020 season has been a record-breaking one for the Panthers. In such an unusual season, they have only lost the one game and are destined to win the minor premiership.
Their greatest challenge lies ahead with quality opposition waiting in the finals trying to stop them from taking home the big prize.
The big moment is yet to come for Cleary. At some stage his team will need a big play from him to win a game or maybe even a premiership. He has nailed big moments before and had big games to date, and he will need to do it again for the Panthers before the season is out.
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