Latest news with #premierships
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
‘He might have cried': Nathan Cleary braces for ‘weird' showdown with Jarome Luai as great mates prepare for first NRL meeting
Nathan Cleary has beaten Jarome Luai in a World Cup final and recalls being part of 'the biggest upset in junior footy history' when they were teenagers coming through the Penrith system, but on Sunday the great mates will come up against each other for the first time in the NRL. 'It will be weird,' Cleary said after leading Penrith to victory over Parramatta on Sunday with a couple of huge plays in the final 20 minutes. Cleary and Luai were the Batman and Robin for so long, with the pair putting on the cape time and time again to thwart any team foolish enough to get in their way at the business end of the season. They won four premierships together and formed a bond for life as one of the most successful halves pairings in rugby league history, but the band has broken up with Luai now at the Wests Tigers where he's gone from the support act to the main man. It's been an interesting few months apart, with the Panthers finally getting off the bottom of the table, while Luai has seen halves partner Lachlan Galvin leave to join the Bulldogs. It sets up an enthralling clash on Sunday between two teams separated by just one point where two best friends will line up against each other for the first time since Australia beat Samoa in the 2022 World Cup final. 'I think there's just always that mutual respect there,' Cleary said. 'We don't talk all the time, but whenever we do or whenever we see each other, it's always love. You'll never be able to take away what we've been able to achieve together. It's always respect and love whenever we see each other. 'The last time I remember playing him was the World Cup final and before that, we would've been about 16 (when) he was playing for St Marys and I was playing for Brothers (Penrith). 'We had a few duels back then but obviously it's been a long time. I'm looking forward to it. 'He's an outstanding player and you want to test yourself against the best. It will be a bit weird at NRL level but I'm looking forward to it.' Cleary remembers enjoying a shock victory over Luai back when they were kids. 'I do remember probably the biggest upset in junior footy history, we beat them one day and they were stacked. They were so good. He might have cried,' Cleary laughed. 'I'm not sure that'll happen again. 'They used to beat us just about 50-0 every time they played us and one day we got them.' The battle of the sevens will test how far Luai has come as a chief playmaker, with the Samoan star taking the reins at Penrith last year when Cleary was injured. And while he'll want his footy to do the talking, Cleary won't be shocked if Luai's sharp tongue fires up on Sunday. 'Maybe, we'll see (if there's chirp). I don't really start the chirp but if he starts it then we'll see how it is,' he said. 'Last year really prepped him well for this year. His hands are on the ball a lot for the Tigers at the moment. Why wouldn't you? He's such a great player. 'Just his energy alone has lifted a lot of players around him. That's probably his greatest asset. 'I tune in for the Tigers boys I know well, obviously Tito (Sunia Turuva), Terrell May and Romey (Luai) in particular. 'I always enjoy watching them and keeping an eye out on them. It's been good to see them playing some good footy, particularly when they've got momentum, they're one of the best teams in the comp.' Sunday's showdown will be Cleary's second game back after helping the Blues to a pivotal win in the State of Origin opener in Brisbane. It was an emotional return for a man who missed last year's series through injury, and while he ran the ball brilliantly, Cleary had a very rare off night with the boot as he sprayed several conversions that he would normally nail. The Cleary of old would have obsessed over that and spent the next few days trying to fix everything at training, but he limited himself to 15 attempts on Saturday to not overstrain his hamstrings. It paid off as he landed two clutch conversions from out wide to go with a late 40/20 to see off the Eels. 'I think that's where a bit of evolution has come in,' he said, adding that 'physical reps become embedded in the subconscious' after so many years of practice. 'In the past I would have had as many kicks as I could (on Saturday), but being a bit older and looking after my body, I didn't have too many kicks. 'I need to have a few to flush it a bit, but I can rely on the training I've done. I've kicked so many goals in my life that I can take confidence out of that and rely on that a bit more. 'I just wanted to slow down a bit, and I'm glad that I had a few pressure kicks today so I could practise them.'
News.com.au
19-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
‘I'm not shaping it as a final frontier': Nathan Cleary will be an Immortal one day, but his critics can't get over his Origin record
The narrative around Nathan Cleary has been that he needs to dominate State of Origin to be considered one of the greatest players of all time, but the Blues halfback insists this year's series doesn't feel like the 'final frontier'. Cleary, 27, has won four premierships in a row, has claimed the Clive Churchill Medal twice, won a World Cup and has been a part of three successful Origin campaigns. He's on track to smash several NRL records and has been the main man in the most dominant team of the modern era, yet there are people who still point to his Origin record and wonder whether he deserves to be in the Immortal conversation. Cleary has a 7-7 record for NSW and has played just one match for his state since the start of 2023, with serious hamstring injuries plaguing him and forcing him to miss the epic comeback win last year. The champion halfback has heard the chat and accepts that it will follow him around throughout this year's series, but he says it won't define him as he looks to make up for lost time. 'I think that's the way it's probably shaped sometimes, and I do want to play better at Origin level,' he said. 'But I'm not shaping it as a final frontier. 'There's still a lot of my rugby league life to live. I want to keep getting better. This Origin journey is in front of me right now, so I want to attack that as best I can. 'I think I've just got to prove it to my teammates, especially after watching last year and seeing how well they did. 'You've just got to capitalise and do the same again. 'It's about proving myself to my teammates and showing that I'm meant to be here, and I'm confident that I can get the job done. 'At the end of the day, it's not about me. It's about this team, so I want to put my best foot forward for the whole week and then be at my best come game day.' Blues skipper and Cleary's co-captain at the Panthers, Isaah Yeo, knows Cleary better than most. It's why he's backing the gifted playmaker to use the criticism as motivation, with Yeo just happy to see Cleary back in the sky blue jersey after so many cruel setbacks. 'I don't know if he'd give it much thought, but if he does, I'm sure it'd fuel the fire a bit,' the veteran lock said. 'You know how much the jersey means to him. You only have to look back at when he did his hammy before the series last year and how shattered he was. 'I feel like he's so ready for this moment. It's been building for a few years, so I'm excited to see him back in this environment because I know what he brings to a team and how much confidence he'll give the group.' Cleary's next challenge will be working alongside Mitchell Moses in the halves, with the Eels star edging Jarome Luai for the five-eighth spot. Luai and Cleary have carved up for the Panthers and Blues in the past, but Cleary is excited about the new combination even though both men are chief playmakers at club level and prefer to play on the right. Both players have spoken about being willing to step back if the other guy is in control, with Cleary's crucial tries against Brisbane showing that he can do some of his best work on the left. 'I think we both understand the game really well and I think we can use that to our advantage for what's needed at the right time and to stand up in the right moments,' said Cleary, who should start on the right given his combination with Liam Martin and Stephen Crichton. 'At the end of the day, it's about what's right for the team. It's not letting egos get in the way, we've got to complement each other and get the best out of each other. 'I don't mind, and the way it should work is that we can roam around and see how that works. I think both of us are quite capable of playing left or right.'
