Cleary saves Panthers with late show as Knights’ season on the brink

So, if Nathan Cleary was the Newcastle halfback rather than the Penrith one on Sunday, who do you think would have won?

That’s not meant to disparage his opposite, Phoenix Crossland, who was playing his first game at No.7 this year. Or even Tyson Gamble, who took on the main playmaking responsibilities for the Knights at five-eighth, and blotted a fine game with one crucial kick that would have rolled onto the neighbouring cricket field if there wasn’t a fence to stop it.

But these are the margins in the NRL at the moment, where a hair’s breadth separates a bunch of teams scrambling to make the top eight.

Two weeks ago, in his first game back from a serious hamstring injury which ruled him out of the entire State of Origin series, Cleary kicked the Dolphins down a path which now has them outside the top eight with a two-point, golden point field goal dagger to the heart.

Last week, he tortured the Dragons, and after 70 minutes of scrapping and clawing at BlueBet Stadium, the Knights let him run once, and he broke a deadlock with a delicate cross between a pirouette and wrestle which, just for good measure, left the game’s highest-paid player, Kalyn Ponga, in his wake.

“That’s why he [Cleary] is the player he is, and that’s why he [Ponga] is the player he is,” Knights coach Adam O’Brien said after Penrith’s 22-14 win, which means Newcastle have to win their last five games to make the finals.

Nathan Cleary burrows over to score.Credit: NRL Photos

“Your video session would be four hours long if you were going to bring up scenarios where he could hurt you. You can’t do that. You’ve got to make sure you’re hanging in there and working hard for each other, and hopefully you make a play to stop him.“

They didn’t.

O’Brien is right because if Cleary doesn’t kick you to death, he’ll find the right pass at the right time. Unlike many other halfbacks, he can hurt you with his running game, too.

Still, the Prince of Penrith might not have been quite the most popular person on Sunday. His girlfriend, Matildas star Mary Fowler, walked out of the Penrith sheds moments before Cleary, wearing a Panthers scarf. Just as many kids begged her to sign an autograph as they did Cleary.

Nathan Cleary celebrates the winning try.Credit: Getty Images

By his own admission, Cleary has dialled back his training a touch after years of hamstring problems. It might also mean he’s fresher for the big moments, with the Panthers cutting the Storm’s gap to two points at the top of the ladder in the race for the minor premiership.

“That’s what you want from your playmakers,” Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said. “We struggled to get much momentum at all today, but I thought we stuck at it and moved the ball when we could. I thought we were really patient and a big play by Nat in that that moment.”

Having trailed 14-6 at half-time, the Knights fought their way back into the game with a Tyson Frizell try off a Gamble pass before the game’s major flashpoint.

The Panthers had a Brian To’o effort ruled out for Izack Tago’s high shot on Ponga before he threw a loose pass, but the bunker and referee Adam Gee opted not to sin-bin the Panthers centre.

“I hate getting into this because I don’t want to be that coach, but [Ponga] got penalised for one around the chest and his one was clearly around the head,” O’Brien said. “I’ll let you guys write about that one.”

We can, but we can also just about write off Newcastle’s finals chances. There looks like there will be no repeat of last year’s magical run.

And the final nail was just about delivered by Cleary, on the same day O’Brien tinkered with his halves again. What Newcastle would give for a No.7 like Cleary.

“I know everyone’s been critical of the [halves] changes, but I look at it more as a sign I’ll do anything to win,” O’Brien said. “I’ll try anything.

“We haven’t given guys one game, we’ve given them three or four. We don’t want to die wondering. We’ll do anything to win a game to get us into the finals. [But] Cleary’s a helluva player.”

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