NRL 2023: Adam Reynolds keen to reverse grand final results against Nathan Cleary
Adam Reynolds has a shot at redemption against Nathan Cleary, Broncos legend Steve Renouf reveals why he thinks the Brisbane skipper will prevail this time.
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Adam Reynolds has been hailed Brisbane’s new-age Allan Langer as the Brisbane skipper looks to avenge his grand-final heartbreak by toppling Panthers maestro Nathan Cleary in this Sunday’s NRL decider.
Two years ago, Cleary broke Reynolds’ heart in the 2021 grand final when the Panthers champion edged out his then Souths rival to clinch his maiden premiership in Penrith’s 14-12 defeat of the Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium.
Now Cleary and Reynolds will square off again in a pulsating halfback shootout that will have a huge bearing on whether the Panthers or Broncos are victorious at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
Reynolds has transformed the Broncos since his $2.4 million move from Redfern and the 33-year-old is confident he can match Cleary – the NRL’s No. 1 player – as he looks to snap Brisbane’s 17-year premiership drought.
“It’s going to be a tough ask (against Cleary) but I’m up for the challenge,” Reynolds said.
“There’s no personal battle there.
“It (the 2021 grand-final loss) was a game in the past, I can’t do anything about that now.
“But I would love to win another grand final, simple as that, whether it’s against Nathan or anyone else in the team.
“He is playing better football now than he was back then. I’m playing my role for the team.”
While bookmakers are backing Cleary to lead the Panthers to the first hat-trick of titles since the Parramatta juggernaut 40 years ago, Reynolds is rated the ice-cool game manager to dismantle the Panthers.
Reynolds broke Souths’ 43-year premiership hoodoo in 2014 and he will cement his greatness as a playmaker if he can smash another hoodoo and pilot Brisbane to their first NRL trophy since 2006.
Broncos centre legend Steve Renouf played alongside the club’s greatest halfback, Allan Langer, in their 1992-93 title triumphs and says Reynolds is the closest thing to ‘Alfie’.
“Cleary against Reynolds is massive and Reynolds has the older head to get him,” Renouf said.
“He can match Cleary, 100 per cent.
“’Reyno’ is smart and he has transformed this entire club.
“Reyno reminds me of Allan Langer. He does and sees things that the team doesn’t know sometimes, he has that instinct of Alfie.
“Cleary is a champion but Reynolds is the only other halfback who can match him and beat him.”
The jury was out on Reynolds’ ageing frame when he joined the Broncos last year on a three-year deal.
But the 273-game veteran has been the scrumbase brains behind Brisbane’s stunning resurrection.
He has 19 try assists and 16 line-break assists this season, but says he won’t be truly satisfied until he emulates 2006 captain Darren Lockyer by skippering the Broncos to title glory.
“I didn’t know what to expect to be honest,” Reynolds said of his arrival at Red Hill.
“I knew there was a lot of talent and great coaching staff.
“I knew I could play a part in trying to get the club back to the great successful days.
“It was about hard work and it’s been a lot of hard work along the way, tough pre-seasons and a few learning curves.
“We had that hiccup last year (missing the finals by one win), but we have learnt a hell of a lot and grown through that period.
“They showed faith in me and I wanted to repay that faith and play the best football possible.
“I am a bit speechless. I am so proud of the group and the club, we’re in a grand final, how good.
“The job isn’t done yet. It’s a great thing making the grand final, but it’s even better winning them.
Walters hailed Reynolds as the champion No. 7 the Broncos needed to seriously challenge for premierships.
“I wasn’t really sure how long it could take,” he said of Brisbane’s rebuild after their wooden-spoon finish in 2020.
“It was a matter of getting the right people together and Adam was a key signing.
“He was the first big fish that we got.
“That triggered a few other things and I remember when we went to meet him and his family, we had an instant connection.
“I thought this is the bloke that we need to get. We got him and we gradually built up to this over time.”
FIVE MOUTH-WATERING MATCH-UPS TO DECIDE NRL GRAND FINAL
– By Travis Meyn
Broncos maestro Adam Reynolds will get his shot at grand final redemption in a mouth-watering halfback duel with Penrith’s golden boy Nathan Cleary.
Reynolds is heading to his third NRL grand final after piloting Brisbane to a 42-12 thrashing of the Warriors at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
In just his second season at Red Hill, Reynolds has delivered what he was recruited to do with the Broncos on the verge of snapping Brisbane’s 17-year premiership drought.
But one final hurdle stands in front of Reynolds and his Broncos – the most dominant team in recent NRL history.
The Panthers are appearing in their fourth straight grand final and aiming to become the first team in the NRL era to win three straight premierships.
After leading South Sydney to a 43-year drought-breaking title in 2014, Reynolds lost his second NRL grand final in the 2021 decider against Penrith.
The gun goal-kicker missed a crucial conversion attempt late in that game, but will get his shot at redemption next Sunday night at Accor Stadium.
A 273-game NRL veteran, Reynolds will have to outpoint the current Kangaroos and NSW Origin No. 7 in Cleary if the Broncos are to taste title glory.
The Reynolds-Cleary showdown is just one of many tantalising battles across the park in what is shaping up to be a cracking grand final between the No. 1 and 2 ranked teams of the 2023 season.
HAAS v JFH
This could be the best front row battle of the year.
Panthers enforcer James Fisher-Harris was sensational in Penrith’s 38-4 thrashing of the Storm on Friday night, making 17 runs for 138m and 20 tackles as he bullied Melbourne’s men in the middle.
Meanwhile, Broncos beast Payne Haas tore the Warriors to shreds in his opening stint, charging for 116m in the opening 30 minutes and finishing with 208m and 25 tackles.
Haas and ‘JFH’ are the two best props in the game and will set the tone for their teams in the brutal opening exchanges.
Throw in Haas’ sidekick Tom Flegler and Fisher-Harris’ wingman Moses Leota and it will be a show you can’t miss.
WALSH v EDWARDS
Fullback showdowns don’t get much more exciting than this.
Penrith’s brilliant No. 1 Dylan Edwards is the reigning Clive Churchill Medallist following his remarkable performance in last year’s grand final defeat of Parramatta.
But he will come up against the NRL’s in-form fullback Reece Walsh, who cut the Warriors to pieces with a whopping six line-break assists.
Walsh has passed every test thrown at him this season, including a stunning State of Origin debut, and was dynamic in the preliminary final.
Edwards is a brilliant player but Walsh could blow this grand final apart with his blistering speed.
CARRIGAN v YEO
They are not the most glamorous players on the field, but the opposing lock forwards hold the key to unlocking their teams.
Pat Carrigan has put together fantastic seasons over the past two years for Brisbane to become one of the NRL’s premier No. 13s.
He returned from last year’s World Cup raving about Penrith counterpart Isaah Yeo – his NSW rival.
Carrigan gets through a mountain of work, as evidenced by his 123m to go with five offloads and 26 tackles against the Warriors, and is the linkman in attack.
Yeo plays a very similar role for the Panthers without having the same defensive sting as Carrigan.
This is a crucial battle in the middle.
WALTERS v CLEARY
Not Billy Walters and Nathan Cleary – this battle will happen in the coaches’ boxes.
Penrith chief Ivan Cleary is appearing in his fifth grand final as a coach and aiming to become the first mentor since the legendary Jack Gibson at Parramatta in 1981-83 to win three straight premierships.
He is up against Kevin Walters – the Broncos’ leader in just his third season as an NRL head coach and in his first decider.
Walters won six premierships as a player, including five at the Broncos, but this coaching caper is a whole new ballgame.
It will be fascinating to see who triumphs.
Originally published as NRL 2023: Adam Reynolds keen to reverse grand final results against Nathan Cleary
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