The numbers that say Cleary is about to put the boot into Queensland

The Age

23-05-2025

Rugby league's leading goal-kicking coach, Daryl Halligan, has backed Nathan Cleary to cement his 'Iceman' reputation during the State of Origin series, as statistics reveal the Penrith star has never been in better form with the boot.
NSW coach Laurie Daley is set to entrust Cleary with the kicking duties in the interstate series opener at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, despite the claims of Zac Lomax, Mitchell Moses, Stephen Crichton and Latrell Mitchell.
Lomax, Crichton, Moses and Mitchell are strong goal-kickers in their own right, but Cleary is known as the 'Iceman' for a reason, and the numbers lend weight to the theory that his accuracy from the tee is still improving.
Having kicked 638 goals at a strike rate of 83.9 per cent over the first nine seasons of his NRL career, the 27-year-old has landed 34 of 37 attempts for the Panthers this year, at 91.89 per cent.
That's the highest percentage of his career and a number Halligan - who coaches Cleary and a select group of kickers across the NRL - regards as above and beyond mere mortals.
'The stats will tell you that back around the late '90s or early 2000s, two [goals] out of three, 66 or 67 per cent, that was maybe an acceptable pass mark,' Halligan said.
'These days, if you're not kicking at 80 per cent, you might as well be looking over your shoulder.
'I think if you spoke to most people in the NRL, they're aiming for 80 per cent. There's not too many who can get it up to 90 per cent over a whole season.'