NRL 2022: Nathan Cleary hits back at Panthers’ haters after grand final celebrations
Penrith star Nathan Cleary claims the Panthers are “easy targets” for critics who want to drag them down after winning back-to-back premierships and insists the players aren’t “arrogant”.
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Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary says criticism of his teammates has been “unfair” and claims the two-time champions have become an easy target for people who want to drag them down.
The Panthers have been in the headlines all week following comments from some of their players in the wake of Sunday’s grand final win over Parramatta.
Prop James Fisher-Harris said “Parra are our sons” while on stage as the club celebrated the premiership with their fans who then started a “we hate Parra” chant.
There have also been social media posts that have earned the ire of some commentators, who have labelled the players “arrogant”, but Cleary says that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It’s an easy target when you’re at the top,” he said a few hours before he and the Kangaroos jetted off to England for the World Cup.
“It’s the world we live in where if you’re successful and doing well then there are always people who want to tear you down.
“Sometimes some things are said that probably wouldn’t be said during the season, but at the end of the day, it is what it is.
“I love all the boys that I play alongside and I don’t think any of them are arrogant. If we were arrogant, I don’t think we would have gone back-to-back.
“There’s no ego in what we do. It’s the outside world that might see it like that.
“I don’t really get frustrated. It’s unfair on some of our players the way they’re portrayed in the media. It’s hard to control that.
“I think we all know who we are as people and what we’d do for each other. That’s the main thing. We care about what’s said in the inner sanctum.”
While several Penrith players have been criticised, none have received more condemnation than Jarome Luai. The five-eighth has always felt comfortable in his own skin and hasn’t shied away from making big statements which he’s been able to back up on the field.
Cleary has known his halves partner for a long time and says outside perception doesn’t marry up with who Luai really is.
“I think people enjoy watching him because he is that character,” Cleary said. “He’s different to other people, and I think that’s what makes him so special.
“Sometimes he’ll say stuff that riles people up and riles opposition players, but that’s what we enjoy about rugby league. It’s different.
“I’ve known ‘Romie’ for a long time and he’s at the stage of his career where as much as he doesn’t want this backlash, he’s comfortable in his own skin. He’s allowed to be himself around our environment and the culture we have.”
RCG’S HARRY POTTER NIGHTMARE
Parramatta star Reagan Campbell-Gillard won’t be reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on the plane to England after likening the grand final to Lord Voldemort, who earned the moniker ‘he who must not be named’ for his shocking misdeeds in the wizarding world.
The Eels prop isn’t over Sunday’s loss to his former club and says he won’t be talking about the match while over in the UK for the World Cup.
The blue and golds were blown off the park in the first half but managed to fight back late in the game in a performance that was emblematic of their rollercoaster year that saw the Eels go through plenty of ups and downs.
“It’s like Harry Potter and Voldemort. We’re not really speaking the name. It sucks,” Campbell-Gillard said.
“We did it the hard way to get there. It was one of the best experiences you can imagine and it’s something you want to be doing, but if we can do it a little easier (that’d be better).”
The experienced prop also says he has no beef with Panthers players for their comments following the grand final.
Rival big man James Fisher-Harris said “Parra are our sons” while Panthers fans chanted “we hate Parra” at a fan day on Monday morning.
Campbell-Gillard says it was simply a case of freedom of speech and that he would have carried on if the Eels had ended their 36-year premiership drought.
“Everyone celebrates, and you can celebrate however you want. If I won a comp then I’d be going stupid,” he said.
“For how long you train and the week in, week out (effort) for 10 or 11 months, for someone to go a little bit crazy for two or three days (is fine). I don’t have an issue with it.
“They’ve had a bit of grog. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If the shoe is on the other foot, I’d be going pretty stupid.”
Campbell-Gillard got to see Nathan Cleary develop as a playmaker when he was at the Panthers and will now get to lay a platform for him on tour as the Kangaroos look to defend their 2017 title.
But he was on the wrong end of a Cleary masterclass on Sunday as the Panthers No.7 showed why some legends of the game have declared him the club’s greatest ever halfback.
Cleary kicked the Eels to death and set up a try with a neat grubber late in the first half, while he also frustrated Campbell-Gillard with some timely challenges to kill off Parramatta’s momentum.
“He’s a freak,” the front-rower said.
“We gave ourselves somewhat of a chance. I thought we were going all right 20 minutes in, but then just a moment of lapse and some moments during the game didn’t go our way.
“I wanted to karate chop him every time he did the captain’s challenges and won them every time. They’ve been the best team for the past three years and he’s been a massive part of that success.
“If he was a front-rower and he was doing it then I’d be filthy. But he’s a halfback and has nailed his role as a halfback at a young age. He’s only going to get better.”
EELS STAR SLAMMED FOR SELFISH ACT
Penrith legend Mark Geyer questioned Parramatta forward Ryan Matterson’s passion for the Eels after accepting a three-game ban to start next season rather than cop a $4000 fine.
The battle of the west appears to have erupted again as Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai responded to being dragged into Matterson’s judiciary charge complaint.
Matterson couldn’t understand why he was even cited for a crusher tackle on Penrith’s Dylan Edwards before taking aim at Luai.
“It (the charge) didn’t make sense to me,” Matterson told reporters.
“At the time I thought it was definitely a penalty, but I didn’t think it would go much further than that.
“Considering Jarome Luai is kicking players and he didn’t get cited. It makes you think ‘Where is this game heading?’”
Luai appeared to kick out at Parramatta’s Isaiah Papali’I while the Eels backrower was on the ground in the first half of Sunday’s grand final but the Panther escaped any sanction.
Geyer didn’t miss with his assessment of Matterson’s move after he was charged with a crusher tackle on Edwards.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” Geyer told Triple M.
“That’s peril for Parramatta because they’re losing (Marata) Niukore, they’re losing (Isaiah) Papali’i. They need Matterson on deck. They need to be full-strength. There might be more to it but the optics of it makes Ryan look like he loves his money a bit too much.
“He’s on about $600,000-a-year. To miss three games of footy for $4000, I don’t get it and hope there is more to it.
“That doesn’t say much about his passion to play for the Eels. They could be 0-3 to start, the Eels, after three games, who knows, they need every man on deck. The optics of it don’t look really good.”
Luai responded to Matterson’s claim on Instagram, by reposting the Eels forward’s quote, accompanied by three crying emojis, and the chorus to R&B star Kennyon Brown’s song Cry 4 You.
“I just feel $4000 is pretty hefty considering I have already paid nearly $4000 in fines already this year for things that are absurd,” Matterson said.
“At the end of the day I’ve got personal things to worry about outside of rugby league. I just didn’t think it was warranted. If you do something wrong at work, they don’t take money off you.”
The latest flare up is fresh from James Fisher-Harris’ controversial comments about the Eels at Penrith’s grand final fan day celebrations on Monday.
Originally published as NRL 2022: Nathan Cleary hits back at Panthers’ haters after grand final celebrations
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