Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary learns from Storm stars as he prepares for second NRL season

MOMENTS after making his NRL debut as an 18-year-old last year, Nathan Cleary was given some surprise advice by Melbourne rival Cooper Cronk.

Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary is aware of the perils of the dreaded second-year syndrome.

MOMENTS after making his NRL debut as an 18-year-old last year, Nathan Cleary was given some surprise advice by Melbourne rival Cooper Cronk.

“Cooper came up to me and told me to remember defence was always the most important thing, and he was right,’’ Cleary told The Daily Telegraph.

“Since my debut, all the big guys tried to throw me off my game, I accepted it and knew it was coming, and I had to ­prepare for it each week.

Penrith’s Nathan Cleary goes through his paces at training this week. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

“After that (Melbourne) game, Cam Smith came up and said ‘congratulations’, while Cooper spoke about defence.

“It was pretty cool because I grew up idolising those guys — talking to them after the game was pretty sick. It shows how good they are for the sport, they’ve achieved everything and are happy to pass on tips to the younger blokes. That’s why they’re such superstars of the game.’’

With Cronk’s wisdom in mind, Cleary has made a point of working on his defence during the sweltering Penrith summer.

“There are a lot of areas I can improve on, and cleaning up defence has been one of them,’’ Cleary said.

Nathan Cleary makes a break during his impressive rookie season. Picture: Gregg Porteous

“It’s not that I’m a liability, I just want respect from the people inside and outside me.

“I’ve also focused on adding a bit more muscle and getting a bit faster.’’

Cleary will run out in front of an expected crowd of 5000 fans for their trial match against bitter rivals Parramatta on Saturday night.

The Pepper Stadium final pre-season hitout will also be the first time Cleary gets the chance to team up with 21-year-old five-eighth Te Maire Martin.

Martin is far from guaranteed to wear the Penrith No. 6 jersey in the opening round against the Dragons, but will do his chances no harm should he immediately click with the halfback.

Cleary was a breath of fresh air last season and his maturity is the big reason plenty of good judges believe he will not buckle under the weight of expectation.

Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary is aware of the perils of the dreaded second-year syndrome. Picture: Kym Smith

Coach Anthony Griffin and club great Greg Alexander are just two people who backed Cleary to cope in his sophomore season.

“I try to stay calm and don’t get ahead of myself, and having people around me like ‘Wal’ (Peter Wallace) and “Merro’ (Trent Merrin) help me stay grounded as well,’’ Cleary said.

“This has been my first first-grade pre-season, it’s been tough in the heat, the weights have been more intense, and I’ve been trying to build myself up a bit.

“I want to play each week and keep my spot in first grade.

“Hook (Griffin) has told me to not overplay my hand, to keep working hard, training hard, and everything will work out.’’

As for his combination with Martin, the 21-year-old Kiwi who won plenty of admirers early last season before a crunching Luke Lewis tackle ended his season, Cleary said: “He’s the fast one, he definitely has the running game down pat, and hopefully I’m the cool head who can direct us around. I’ll take on board the shot calling, and I’ll let him work his magic.’’