As Penrith Panthers prepare for a highly anticipated grudge clash against the Wests Tigers, head coach Ivan Cleary has offered a striking, understated response to the growing national debate over whether his son, star halfback Nathan Cleary, has finally cemented his legacy as a dominant force in rugby league’s iconic State of Origin series.
Nathan Cleary, one of the most decorated players in modern National Rugby League (NRL) history with four premiership titles and two Clive Churchill Medals to his name, has long been held to an unmatched standard at the representative level. For years, his stellar club form with the Panthers failed to fully translate to Origin, the sport’s most high-stakes domestic representative series, where he represents New South Wales (NSW) Blues. That narrative shifted dramatically last week, when a masterclass second-half performance from Cleary steered the Blues to a thrilling 22-20 game one victory over Queensland, pushing his career Origin winning record with the side to 50 percent.
In that series opener, Cleary delivered a career-defining outing: he crossed for a try, nailed a clutch 40/20 kick, set up two tries from set pieces including James Tedesco’s match-winning score in the final two minutes, and converted the try to seal the result. The performance earned him his third Origin man-of-the-match award, silencing the long-time critics who questioned his big-game pedigree at the representative level. Ivan Cleary, who watched the win from the stands at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, says he has never bought into the external chatter surrounding his son’s Origin legacy.
“I’ve always seen him do that. He’s learnt a lot over the years and has had some really good games and has had some other games where he feels like he could do better,” Ivan Cleary told reporters this week. “I don’t even know what dominating Origin is because we’ve never seen anyone do it. Even Wally Lewis back in the day, he’s probably the only one who really (went close) but did he? I don’t know. I’m just so proud of him that he’s in there for a start and that he prepares as hard as he can and plays as hard as he can. He did well last week, but it’ll all be on again in a couple of weeks.”
Beyond the Origin conversation, the Panthers are gearing up for Sunday’s round 13 clash against the Tigers, with Nathan set to make his return to the club lineup alongside rested NSW teammates Isaah Yeo and Brian To’o. Nathan missed Penrith’s last-start thrilling win over the New Zealand Warriors, a match widely labelled the NRL game of the 2024 season, after being rested by the club following the Origin opener.
The match also marks a potential stepping stone for Liam Martin, a Blues representative who made his first appearance in 10 weeks after a knee injury sustained in round 6. Martin had a quiet opening stint on the right edge but impressed in a second shift in the middle of the park against the Warriors, putting his name forward for a recall to the NSW starting side for Origin II at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on June 17.
Ivan Cleary remained non-committal on Martin’s recall prospects, with current starting back-rowers Hudson Young and Haumole Olakau’atu unlikely to be dropped from the game two side. “He’s obviously been there a lot and understands that arena, but it’s hard to say based on what he’s just done. I’m sure he wouldn’t let anyone down,” Cleary said. “It’s been a real stop-start year for him, so I think he’s just happy to get back out there. I thought the second stint where he came back on, he was looking pretty free, so he’ll only get better.”
As for the Tigers, the side Ivan coached across two seasons earlier in his career, the Panthers head coach warned his side would face a much-improved opposition this weekend. Wests snapped a multi-game losing streak last round with key playmakers Api Koroisau and Jahream Bula returning to the lineup, and Cleary said the club has made clear progress across the 2024 season. “They’ve definitely improved throughout the year. They’re a high-energy team who look pretty connected. When they’ve got it going, they’re a real handful, so it should be a really good game.”