Matty Johns analysis: Penrith’s Nathan Cleary crutch finally exposing hidden flaws

One of the keys to Penrith’s great success has been dealing with the loss of Nathan Cleary for stints before finals. MATTY JOHNS reveals why, in 2024, the halfback’s absence is exposing hidden cracks.

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has challenged his Panthers, questioning their desire, as they slide to fourth on the NRL ladder.

It’s a bit like questioning Donald Bradman’s batting ability after nicking one behind for a duck.

It’s the first public poke in the ribs Cleary has given his team, and it will be interesting to see how they respond.

One of the keys to Penrith’s great success has been losing halfback Nathan Cleary for a stint leading towards the finals.

It’s allowed them to have a good look at all areas of their game, without the talents of their champion No.7 covering up the small fractures.

In sport, habit forms easily, whether it be good or bad.

SPLIT-PERSONALITY SOUTHS

Take South Sydney. The Rabbitohs, a few seasons ago, had a quirk in their game. Feeling they had their opponents’ measure, they would slip into Showtime mode, push the ball around frivolously, bomb a try here and there, attack the first priority, defence not even second or third.

I used to remark that there were two Souths. The good Souths worked hard, retained possession and put as much energy into their defence as they did their attack.

The bad Souths were purely attack-minded, they trusted their talents too much. Their mantra was: “You score 30, we’ll score 32.”

The team had two personalities constantly battling one another, until the bad Souths won the war and the collapse was sudden and monumental.

PANTHERS’ FLAWED GAME PLAN

Penrith’s issue is very different, it has nothing to do with carelessness.

The Panthers’ last six weeks of football has contained some of the poorest performances in their long run of success.

And there’s other factors, apart from desire.

The Panthers’ want of dismantling an opposition bit by bit has resulted in their football evolving to a place which has left them vulnerable at the back end of matches.

Right from the opening whistle, Penrith roll up their sleeves and enter the grind, playing with patience, no flash, lots of simple little inside passes, forcing the oppositions’ middle man to make tackle after tackle.

They are the masters of the arm wrestle and are happy to stay in the grind for the entire 80 minutes.

The problem is, if you make the style of the contest a hard-fought grind, then chances are, that with 10 minutes to go, the game is still up for grabs.

Penrith dropped their last fixture. Picture: Mark Nolan/Getty Images

PANTHERS’ NATHAN CLEARY CRUTCH

Many times in the past two seasons Nathan Cleary has saved Penrith’s bacon with incredible performances in the closing stages.

The Panthers have become too reliant on his heroics.

Two weeks ago, Penrith found themselves locked at 22-all with 20 minutes to go against Melbourne. There was no panic, they’ve been in this position countless times.

Then disaster struck. Cleary left the field with a shoulder injury, there were no late-game heroics, the Storm took control of the closing stages and won 24-22.

Last week’s upset 22-18 loss to Canberra is a better example.

The Panthers dominated possession and field position, however, they just didn’t do enough with the football and the chances they were given.

They relied more on trying to slowly wear down the Raiders. It placed them in a position where, regardless of their dominance, Canberra could still pinch the game late.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Nathan Cleary’s ‘Iceman’ celebration. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

IGNORED THE WARNING SIGNS

But this has been building. In the lead-up to the Melbourne loss, Penrith had flirted with defeat regularly.

Against the Dolphins, they came from 14 points down to win in golden point, thanks to Cleary’s poise under pressure. Then, at home against Newcastle, scores were tied with a little more than 10 minutes to go, once again Cleary got them home.

In both matches, Penrith had the majority of possession.

In Round 23, against a Parramatta team enduring a horrible season, Penrith found themselves down 14 points with seven minutes remaining. They still found victory with another late surge, 36-34.

However, in the past two weeks the chickens have come home to roost.

HOW THEY FIX IT

There’s lots of traditional thinking in rugby league, which doesn’t always apply to everyone.

One is how you build performance. Start the game conservatively, play with patience, only move the football around once you’ve earned the right. But for a masterful team like Penrith, playing conservatively only gives lesser opposition a fighting chance.

Penrith need to get back to starting fast, giving themselves an opportunity to blow a team to bits early, and only fall back into an arm wrestle when the opposition proves themselves worthy.