Panthers rediscover their old magic as Nathan Cleary wizardry baffles Broncos
Nathan Cleary was back to his best in the Panthers' defeat of the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
Nathan Cleary was back to his best in the Panthers' defeat of the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium. Photograph:Nathan Cleary was booed savagely when he was introduced to the Suncorp Stadium crowd on Sunday. He had been beaten to the ball by Ben Hunt for a sparkling early Broncos try. He had mis-kicked a first-half drop-out to ridicule from the stands. Then at 8-8 he was pulverised in a tackle by Brisbane's Kotoni Staggs.
The great icon of the Penrith four-peat – like many of his team-mates – has not been himself in 2025, and Sunday was looking like another tough day. The Staggs hit was met with glee by the 50-odd thousand present, a rugby league community impatient for the end of the Panthers dynasty.
Advertisement
Related: Harmony of NRL Magic Round delivers antidote for election weekend
But in this Magic Round rumble played between sun showers, the Penrith prince leapt off the turf and seized the spotlight. On the fourth tackle of a Panthers set, five minutes before half-time, there was no urgency from the Brisbane line. When Cleary shaped to kick, the 40m line – centimetres from Cleary's left toe – was suddenly flashing red.
Penrith's interchange forward Luron Patea beat four defenders to plant the ball on the line soon afterwards, but everyone knew the try was thanks to Cleary's 40/20. 'He's got that in him hasn't he,' Broncos coach Michael Maguire rued. 'It's this time of year too where they start to rise.'
Cleary wasn't finished. Three minutes later, with sleight of hand appropriate for Magic Round, the No 7 shaped to the blind and five defenders fell under the spell. His left foot step – reminiscent of the one that took the Panthers past the Broncos in the 2023 grand final – carried him through untouched.
Advertisement
The echo of that painful night wasn't lost on Broncos half Adam Reynolds. 'He comes up with some great plays out there, he's an integral part that team and the reason why they've had so much success,' he said. 'He's obviously among the elite in the game at the moment.'
Panthers coach and Nathan's father Ivan Cleary admitted with a smile that the 2023 flashback was 'a good omen' in a victory that finished 32-8. Isaah Yeo said his co-captain had made a difference in the big moments. 'He's been playing well, but obviously off the back of losses, that's probably where question marks happen,' he said.
The premiers are decided in October, so rugby league in May is usually more concerned about Origin speculation, or the performance of referees. This was the bottom-placed team versus one hoping to consolidate their place in the top four. In an ordinary NRL season, these are ingredients for a forgettable fixture.
But between the lines there were novels to read. Magic Round marks the end of the first third of the competition, before the six weeks when Origin wrenches players from club duty and muddies the form guide. It is also the one weekend where the world of rugby league is watching, and there is nowhere to hide.
Advertisement
Related: Su'A's spellbinding blunder costs Dragons dear in NRL Magic Round
The Panthers had been in the top three by the end of round 10 every season since 2020. This year, the four-time defending premiers woke up on the Sunday of Magic Round on the bottom of the ladder. They had lost games early with porous defence, they had given up close contests with lack of discipline and ruthlessness, they had collected injuries like eggs in a bird flu scare. So numerous, so diverse were their issues, it was hard to decipher how they had fallen so far.
And so while the rhetoric of the players and coach Cleary might be about working day-by-day, week-to-week, game-on-game, the ladder – together with an impending six weeks of Origin absences – showed things were getting urgent.
Their opponents had just walloped the table-topping Bulldogs, and veteran halves Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt – a septuagenarian pairing when the No 7 celebrates his birthday in July – showed early on that rugby league is not necessarily a young man's game. A teasing Reynolds kick dropped beneath the crossbar as Hunt soared over Cleary and used the right goalpost to evade fullback Dylan Edwards.
Advertisement
But after Cleary's composed chip put Izack Tago over, the Broncos lost their way. In an unusual admission, Maguire said he was at fault for the Panthers' surge late in the second half with his decisions in play and interchanges. 'You can write however you want on that one, but that period of the game there, I'm going to wear that in what was played out there,' he said.
The Panthers recorded this crucial win following an earlier victory by the competition's early pacesetters Canterbury, who defeated the Titans 38-18 thanks to a hat-trick from winger Jacob Kiraz. As the premiership contenders for 2025 emerge, Ivan Cleary said the Panthers – whom he described as a 'new team' this year – were still overcoming the challenges of new combinations and a lack of training. 'There's reasons for why we are where we are,' he said. 'But I don't really think we're that far off.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Todd McShay's Comp for Klubnik? A Rising NFL Star
Todd McShay's Comp for Klubnik? A Rising NFL Star originally appeared on Athlon Sports. NFL Draft guru Todd McShay is high on Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, and he has a compelling NFL comparison that should excite Tigers fans. Advertisement On "The McShay Show," the former ESPN analyst broke down Klubnik's game and saw a striking resemblance to a quarterback who just lit up the AFC West as a rookie: Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix. Dec 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) against the Texas Longhorns during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images "I see a lot of Bo Nix in this kid. I see a lot of Bo Nix in Cade Klubnik," McShay stated. "I think he's great when the initial play breaks down, when he's gotta climb the pocket, when he's gotta side step. It's like soothing to him, which I love that." It's a comparison that carries significant weight. Nix, the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft, is coming off a stellar rookie campaign where he threw for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns for the Broncos. He added another 430 yards and four scores with his legs, quickly establishing himself as a franchise player. Advertisement McShay admits he may have initially overlooked some of the traits in Nix that he now sees in Klubnik. "Watch his arm, like how loose, and the ball, it has more energy than it looks," McShay added, describing a shared "elastic" quality in both quarterbacks' arms. "I said the same thing about Bo, and I put too much emphasis on all the problems at Auburn and not enough on the development at Oregon. I absolutely undervalued Bo Nix." Klubnik, now entering his senior season, is building a resume that justifies the hype. In a dominant 2024 junior year, he was one of only two quarterbacks nationwide to pass for over 3,500 yards and rush for over 400. By the Numbers: Klubnik's 2024 Breakout Advertisement Passing: 3,639 yards, 36 TDs, 6 INTs Rushing: 463 yards, 7 TDs Total Touchdowns: 43 (2nd in FBS) His impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio (36-to-6) was among the nation's best, showcasing the decision-making that has scouts buzzing. The buzz is translating directly to his draft stock. In McShay's Way-Too-Early 2026 Mock Draft, he projected Klubnik as a top-five pick, landing with the Cleveland Browns. "When I'm saying Bo Nix [comp to Klubnik], like look at the size, look at the mobility, look at the elastic arm, look at kind of the chaos pressure stuff," McShay clarified. "I'm not saying the ceiling is Bo Nix. I'm just saying when I watch him, I see a lot of the same stuff." Advertisement As Klubnik enters the 2025 season as a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate, the comparison to a successful pro like Nix will only amplify the spotlight on the Clemson signal-caller. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Panthers vs. Oilers Stanley Cup Final changes rinks. And, probably, little else
While The Talking Heads sang, ' where I want to be' and the TV sports talking heads will make 'home-ice advantage' a conversation topic, Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final in Amerant Bank Arena could look very much like the two overtime games in Edmonton that started this rematch. Expect neither team to alter style. Sunrise's ice isn't Edmonton's, known for decades as the NHL's best, but it isn't a swamp. And, the biggest home-rink advantage is personnel deployment. Still, you want to strut with Stanley, you can't be a mouse in your house. Since the NHL came out of the 2005 lockout and excluding the 2020 playoffs that were confined to Edmonton's Rogers Place, only one team won the Cup with a losing record at home in the Final: 2018-19 St. Louis, which lost two of three at home to the Bruins, but won Games 2, 5 and 7 in Boston. Of the other 17 Cup Finals in that time span, none of the winners lost more than one home game. READ MORE: After excelling on road all playoffs, it's time for Panthers to produce at home in Cup Final That's despite, in these times of uniformity among NHL rinks, the lone by-law advantage for home teams is personnel deployment. As the home team in Games 3 and 4, the Panthers get to make any player changes last before face-offs (unless they iced the puck, which means the players on the ice have to stay there). So, when Edmonton puts out center Connor McDavid, right wing Leon Draisaitl and Whatever Left Wing Fits At The Moment, the Panthers have an easier time getting the forward line and/or defense pair they want on the ice. 'The advantage is marginal,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. 'A lot of it happens probably just on running your bench in terms of minutes that you put on people when you're on the road and you get a D zone draw, especially when you have the players at the top end like Edmonton has. You run your top end of your bench harder than you will at home.' Evidence of that: ice times going into Friday's second overtime. Despite 80 minutes of hockey down, the Panthers had two forwards, center Jesper Boqvist and Jonah Gadjovich, under 10 minutes of ice time for the game. Edmonton, which rolled four lines more successfully, had no such players. If a fast, physical series also becomes a long series, that matters. 'Florida does like their line matchups,' Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. 'So, it'll be difficult for us to get away from those. But, we had the opportunity to play four lines, which allows us to shake those matchups a bit.' READ MORE: Panthers' top line hasn't scored yet in Stanley Cup Final. Is it a cause for concern? They are — and will remain — who you think they are Nobody knows more about making high-skill plays on various ice surfaces than NHL all-time leading scorer Wayne Gretzky, whose playoff history includes games on the NHL's smoothest, swiftest track in Edmonton and games in Los Angeles and Miami Arena. During TNT's postgame wrapup of Game 2, Gretzky opined that in Sunrise, the Oilers should play a more direct game to account for June ice that can give pucks minds of their own on passes and slick stickhandling moves. Perhaps the guy with more assists in NHL history than anyone else has total points is right. But, evidence from last year's Cup Final says the Oilers got used to working on whatever quality ice is underfoot. Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had to steal Game 1 for the Panthers, stopping all 32 Edmonton shots (the Panthers had only 18). In Game 5, McDavid had two goals and two assists, including an all-time highlight on which he slithered among three Panthers to set up Corey Perry. Edmonton's lone goal in Game 7 came off a stretch pass breakaway. 'You're not going to change how your team's playing,' Knoblauch said. 'You make little adjustments. But your identity is your identity throughout the playoffs.' The Panthers play the same smart, pounding, opponent-irritating way at home and on the road, better at the latter recently. Two of their last three home games, they got zeroed by Toronto in Game 6 and Carolina in Game 4, each time with a chance to end the series. Meanwhile, their last seven road games, the Panthers have scored, counting backwards, five; three; five; five; five; six; and six. That's exactly five goals per game. Home playoff goals by this year's leading Panthers playoff goal scorer, center Sam Bennett? One or one more than Ms. Valdes-Valle, your elementary school Spanish teacher. But, he's set an NHL record with 12 goals on the road.
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final is as tight as can be. Game 3 could tilt the series
After going the distance in the Stanley Cup Final last year with the Florida Panthers beating the Edmonton Oilers by a goal in Game 7 and being one win apart during the regular season, not much is separating these two NHL powerhouses so far in their championship series rematch. This final is just about as close as can be through two games, with each team winning once in overtime and knowing full well one puck off the post or into the net could have dramatically changed the situation. That remains the case going into Game 3 on Monday night at Florida, with the very real chance that a couple of bounces and small adjustments could tilt the series one way or the other. 'It's just the back-and-forth punches of a heavyweight tilt,' veteran Oilers forward Adam Henrique said after practice Sunday. 'Every shift matters so much because it might be a 1-0 game and a 2-1 game, and those mistakes that could either cost you or pay dividends for you and keeping that pressure high — that can be the difference.' This has been a different final than many in the recent past, in part because there's no underdog in it who no one expected to get this far, the opponents know each other well and the teams are nearly at full strength. That has made for some quality hockey where the goals have piled up and yet the defense and goaltending have at the same time been stellar. 'Everything is contested all over the ice, so you're having more events and it's more intense, but what a wonderful thing to be able to say that in the final,' Panthers coach Paul Maurice said after his team's optional skate in Fort Lauderdale. 'Both teams are competing defensively. They're blocking shots, they're battling, they're backchecking and it's still a high-event game. That's some high-end skill.' That high-end skill has been on display. Three-time league and reigning playoff MVP Connor McDavid fittingly leads all scorers with five points, and longtime Edmonton running mate Leon Draisaitl has matched Florida's Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand at three goals apiece. Game 1 finished 4-3 in overtime and Game 2 was 5-4 in double OT. The Oilers have more shots, 92 to 74, while the Panthers have led for over 67 minutes compared to trailing for nearly 28 minutes. It has been tied for large swaths of regulation, and for all the offense, players acknowledge there has not been a whole lot of ice with which to operate. 'It's very tight,' said Marchand, who scored the Game 2 winner 8:04 into the second overtime. 'You can't make any mistakes. Just every time you do, they seem to get something off of it. And we're obviously balanced throughout the lineup, so it's very tight out there. The games speak for themselves. It's been a battle. Very intense and a lot of fun to be a part of.' Like Maurice did after his team lost the opener, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch is making some changes going on the road where he does not control the matchups. He jumbled his defense pairs, putting Evan Bouchard with Darnell Nurse, Mattias Ekholm with John Klingberg, and Brett Kulak with Jake Walman. 'We're always making adjustments to counter whatever teams are doing, who's playing well,' Knoblauch said. 'Fortunately, our players are comfortable with any changes that we do make just because of how much we've fluctuated our pairs and lines throughout the season. In Games 1 and 2 we had some changes, and games throughout the rest of the series there'll be some more.' The push and pull has been quite something to behold. Tune in to just one period or a handful of shifts and it's easy to get the idea that one team or the other is dominating, and then not long after it alternates. 'Both teams will have times where they look like they've got possession of the game, but it's just not going to last. It doesn't last,' Maurice said. 'This is so close out there, so you can take a look at that video and I can find you 15 goals for the Edmonton Oilers that just didn't go in, and I can find you the exact same for the Florida Panthers.' The emotional ebbs and flows, Maurice insists, are also not as big of swings as it looks from the outside. He didn't feel as devastated after the Game 1 defeat or as euphoric after the Game 2 triumph as it may have appeared. His players are accustomed to these waves from losing in the final to Vegas in 2023 and winning in seven games a year ago after surrendering a 3-0 series lead. 'It's all about staying in the moment,' Panthers winger Sam Reinhart said. 'You can't think too far ahead, and you can't think too far in the past.' Draisaitl, who scored the Game 1 OT goal, acknowledged the what-ifs creep into players' heads in the immediate aftermath of a difficult result. But he and his teammates and their counterparts on the other side understand they can't dwell too much given the razor thin margin of error. 'Two really good teams going at it,' Draisaitl said. 'You have to stay detailed and know that all those little bounces matter.'
