{"id":293913,"date":"2023-10-07T06:24:39","date_gmt":"2023-10-07T06:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=293913"},"modified":"2023-10-07T06:24:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T06:24:39","slug":"thats-where-greatness-is-how-nathan-cleary-went-from-solid-to-superstar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/rugby-league\/thats-where-greatness-is-how-nathan-cleary-went-from-solid-to-superstar\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018That\u2019s where greatness is\u2019: How Nathan Cleary went from \u2018solid\u2019 to superstar"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Adrian Proszenko<\/span> and Michael Chammas<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Aged 25, Nathan Cleary is already being discussed as one of the greatest halfbacks to have played the game.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

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Days after Penrith\u2019s third consecutive victory lap, Ivan Cleary still had not fully come to terms with what had transpired.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like the light was shining on us a bit on Sunday,\u201d Cleary says of the grand final.<\/p>\n

It shone brightest on his son, Nathan.<\/p>\n

Even good judges, who had a knack for managing the biggest of games \u2013 Andrew Johns, Johnathan Thurston and Darren Lockyer among them \u2013 had never seen a final quarter of dominance quite like it.<\/p>\n

Which is why Cleary snr watched those 20 minutes \u2013 and the reaction to them \u2013 several times over, in an attempt to \u201cwork out what happened\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI looked back at some footage and some of the interviews and the feedback, guys like Locky and JT [Thurston] and Joey [Johns],\u201d Cleary snr says. \u201cThe way they are talking about him, it\u2019s very surreal and very cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo comparison. He\u2019s achieved far more than me at that age,\u201d says Thurston, who was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame during the week, with his trademark chuckle.<\/p>\n

\u201cBarring injuries, he\u2019s probably still got another eight or nine years to go. He\u2019s done it all and the sky\u2019s the limit for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nathan Cleary is mobbed by teammates after scoring what proved to be the match-winning try in this year\u2019s grand final.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

Yet, at no point during Nathan\u2019s formative football years did his father think he had a megastar sitting across the dining table.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I didn\u2019t, no,\u201d Ivan says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was solid \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Solid? Even when picked to make his interstate debut \u2013 \u201cHe made Origin and didn\u2019t even tell us\u201d, Ivan recalls \u2013 that was the adjective most often used to describe him. In Nathan, the Blues selected a game manager, not a game breaker.<\/p>\n

Yet, the Nathan Cleary who broke Brisbane hearts in last Sunday\u2019s grand final didn\u2019t manage the game \u2013 he owned it.<\/p>\n

The contrast between the final 20 minutes of the match and the 20 minutes that preceded it couldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Just as the engravers were preparing to etch Brisbane\u2019s name onto the premiership trophy, Cleary jnr etched his name into league folklore.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cthe most courageous play of the night\u201d. 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

If all of that isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nathan Cleary celebrates with his teammates after the grand final.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

\u201cSolid\u201d no longer cut it when Thurston was scrambling for adjectives. Informed of the praise heaped upon him, Nathan remains humble.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty cool, it means a lot,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was so much that went into that 20 minutes outside of just my performance. Just from a team\u2019s perspective, just the belief and a never-say-die attitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a very crazy 20 minutes. But it\u2019s 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\u2019s cool to be on the right side of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

On an almost weekly basis, Nathan Cleary\u2019s manager is inundated with endorsement offers. Some of them are of the six-figure variety. Just about all of them are knocked back.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t want anything to distract him from becoming a better player.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loves footy, he puts so much work into it,\u201d Ivan says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s sort of what I thought; if anyone deserves a big moment, it\u2019s him. He puts so much work into it, he learns from all his experiences, good and bad.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe throws himself out there, puts himself out there all the time. Whenever you\u2019re playing halfback, particularly in this day and age where they just get judged and the scrutiny is so heavy, he\u2019s had to wear some bad times there.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he just puts himself out there and that\u2019s where greatness [is]; if you don\u2019t do that, you\u2019ll never achieve greatness.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just so proud of him and looking forward to spending the next few years with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nathan and Ivan Cleary with the Provan-Summons trophy.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n

When they talk about the greatest halfbacks of all, at just the midpoint of his career, Nathan is in the conversation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like Nathan\u2019s got a bit of JT [Thurston] in him, just in terms of competitiveness and finding ways to win games or get involved,\u201d Ivan says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put Locky in that [conversation]; he wasn\u2019t a seven but, man, he was incredible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI unfortunately had to play against him for a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to make out the best because they\u2019re all so good. And you\u2019ll never be able to say who the actual best is.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the fact that we\u2019re talking about this, it\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout a doubt,\u201d Thurston says. \u201cHalfbacks don\u2019t come into their best until 28-29. He\u2019s doing what he\u2019s been doing for the last three or four years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has come along in that game management a lot earlier than most halfbacks do at that age.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s 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\u2019s a team sport, but if Cleary is off there\u2019s no way they get close. It was mind-blowing how it all unfolded.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d Ivan says. \u201cEverything happens for a reason.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that was a good thing. I didn\u2019t think it was the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their time is now. And there\u2019s nothing to suggest it will end soon.<\/p>\n

Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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