NRL grand final: Nathan Cleary carried his Panthers to victory, his teammates relive the moment

The story, told through the eyes of the Panthers who were at the centre of the storm, of how Penrith star Nathan Cleary conjured a grand final miracle.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 01: Nathan Cleary of the Panthers sings the team song with teammates after winning the 2023 NRL Grand Final match between Penrith Panthers and Brisbane Broncos at Accor Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Nathan Cleary watched Jarome Luai make his way off the back of the field and knew it was on him. If Penrith were to complete the greatest comeback on the sport’s biggest stage, it would be in his hands.

Cleary would need to put the Panthers on his back and drag them back into a contest that was drifting away. What unfolded was the greatest 20 minutes of rugby league the game has seen.

At Accor Stadium on Sunday night, Cleary secured a second Clive Churchill medal with a virtuoso display against the Brisbane Broncos.

He was relatively quiet by his own standards for the opening 60 minutes. The last 20 more than made up for that.

This is the story of how Cleary conjured a miracle, told through the eyes of those at the centre of the storm.

Nathan Cleary of the Panthers sings the team song with teammates after winning the 2023 NRL Grand Final. Picture: Getty Images

52ND MINUTE: LUAI DEPARTS, JACK COGGER ENTERS THE CONTEST

Luai tried painkillers at halftime but the shoulder he dislocated in the penultimate round of the regular season eventually gave way with nearly 30 minutes remaining.

At that point, the Broncos were leading 12-8 but within five minutes, they had scored a pair of tries and were leading by 16 points.

Penrith looked shot. Cleary was still a spectator as Ezra Mam ran riot but he was about to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

He was about to kick into gear.

Cleary: ”When Romy went off and Coggs came on, that was the flick (of the switch) for me to just follow the ball and try to do something.

“I have to give a massive wrap to Coggs as well. He unlocked me when he came on. He was communicating well, he was getting me to see things and we were following each other around.

“He was a big part of why we won.”

Cogger: “When I have been sitting on the bench for 60 minutes, I’m fresher than everyone else. Watching from the sideline you see things you can exploit. I can play a little straighter and get in a little which gets him running the ball a bit more. You saw that in the end, he set up a few tries and scored the winner.”

Moses Leota’s try sparked the epic comeback. Picture: David Swift

63RD MINUTE; MOSES LEOTA TRY

Nothing really appears on as Cleary takes a pass off Cogger and drifts to his right. He is almost moving in slow motion, scanning the defensive line for the slightest chink.

Leota runs a decoy on the inside which draws Kurt Capewell’s attention. At the same time, Liam Martin is charging hard on his outside and sucks in Mam.

The gap in front of Cleary noticeably widens and the Panthers star is more than happy to take it, fending off Capewell’s desperate attempt and drawing in Reece Walsh.

Leota has stayed alert on the inside, takes the Cleary pass and races away.

Leota: “We had a set play. I saw him make half a break. I didn’t think he would get through. I just made sure I was there and I got the try. It was a big try. We were three tries down and that was a big try. We needed it. We do that week-in, week-out at training and it paid off.”

Cleary: “I have to give so much credit to Cogs. He created that space and I went through. Big Mos was on the inside. It was good to get one and that turned into two.”

Stephen Crichton scores in the 68th minute. Picture: NRL Images

65TH MINUTE: NATHAN CLEARY 40-20

The Panthers had a spring in their step and no-one was flying more than Cleary. Having orchestrated Leota’s try, he stepped up on the next set to nail a 40-20 that put the Panthers right back on the Brisbane line.

The play was simple but effective. Leota punched another run into the teeth of the Brisbane pack. Kenny jumped into dummy half and delivered the ball to Cleary, who set his sights from about five metres inside his own 40-metre line.

The ball took two bounces and traveled over the sideline about 15 metres from Brisbane’s try-line. In commentary, Nine expert Andrew Johns labeled it the most courageous play of the night.

The Panthers looked certain to score in the ensuing play but Koby Hetherington came up with one of the tackles of the night to stop a flying Leota inches from the Brisbane line.

The onslaught was temporarily halted but the Broncos were back under the pump when Patrick Carrigan came up with an error. Cleary was about to go to work again.

Cogger: “I just said to him ‘I’ll take control of that first receiver role, closer to the ruck to open him up a little bit. I think it was only a small part. He did the rest.”

Leota: “He is the best half in the world.”

68TH MINUTE: STEVE CRICHTON TRY

Cleary is involved in the play before Crichton’s try, running a drop-off play to Leota. He quickly shifts to his left, taking position outside Cogger.

Cogger takes the pass from dummy half and straightens the attack as Cleary begins to drift to his left.

When Crichton receives the ball, he still has plenty of work to do. He has Sunia Turuva on his outside and Kotoni Staggs is in his face, but he backs himself.

Staggs, who switched sides with Herbie Farnworth during the game, is no match while Walsh and Selwyn Cobbo drop off the tackle.

Crichton – bound for the Bulldogs next season – crashes over, rises to his feet and belts the ball high into the air. The Panthers are coming home with a wet sail.

Crichton: “They [Staggs and Farnworth] switch sides whenever they want. I had to do homework on both of them in case they started switching. The game was a rollercoaster. I just knew we didn’t give ourselves a chance. They had the ball the whole first 20 minutes of the second half. When it comes to big moments like this, the boys know what to do. Nathan knows when to step up and Nathan knows when to share the ball around. He just took charge, that is the kind of player he is. He does what he has to do to win. I was believing even when we were down three tries. So happy and so sad at the same time that I am leaving. That was the way I wanted to get out, that was the way I wanted to finish.”

Cleary: “That was not me setting him up. That was all Critta. I thought it was a good opportunity for him to get one-on-one with Staggs. He is pretty freakish and he just did that.”

73RD MINUTE: CLEARY GETS ONE OVER REYNOLDS

Reece Walsh has been dragged back into his in-goal, leaving Adam Reynolds with a choice to make.

He could take a risk and go short with the drop out but with the game on the line, he opted for a longer kick in the hope that he could find the sideline.

Cleary was alert to the play and straddled the sideline. The Broncos challenge the play, believing there was a chance that Cleary’s foot was in the air as he caught the ball.

It was a huge moment in the context of the match. The Panthers were trailing by four points and Brisbane were wilting. One of the subplots to the grand final was the match-up between Reynolds and Cleary.

Cleary won this duel when the bunker deemed his right foot was grounded milliseconds before the ball landed in his hands.

Brian To’o: “I wasn’t nervous at all. I was there right in front of him – I was going to back my skipper. He is smart on the field. He is the heart and soul of this team and so honoured to play alongside him. We knew it was going to be a tough grind between two great teams. We were a few points behind but we just tried to work hard for each other. Truly blessed and grateful to be part of this team.”

Cleary: “I probably should have left it. It was coming right at me so I got a foot down.”

Jack Cogger (L) celebrates the game winning try with Nathan Cleary (C).

77 MINUTE: CLEARY TRY. PANTHERS HIT THE LEAD

The Broncos somehow held on after the drop out thanks to some scrambling play but they were on the ropes and Cleary could sense it.

Cleary’s kick wasn’t his best of the night but Crichton comes up with a huge play, dropping the ball onto his left foot and Staggs is trapped in-goal.

Reynolds goes looking for the sideline again but Liam Martin is on hand this time. The Panthers are relentless.

Cleary shifts to the left and looks as though he wants the ball but James Fisher-Harris and Scott Sorensen try crash plays close to the line.

Then Cleary goes to work. It starts with some subtle play from Mitch Kenny at dummy half as he looks right to pique the interest of Reece Walsh and Pat Carrigan.

They take the bait and their first instinct is to shift in that direction. Kenny instead goes left and finds Cleary.

The Broncos react but they have committed the cardinal sin – they haven’t moved up together and Cleary is greeted by a staggered defensive line.

Reynolds has raced up on Cleary’s outside and a left foot step takes him out of play. Billy Walters is slow off the tryline and he too is beaten by the left foot.

Jordan Riki is even slower to move. As Cleary beats Reynolds, he is barely off the tryline.

He tries to fill the space as he attempts to catch up to Walters, but overcompensates and can’t lay a glove on Cleary.

Walsh has momentarily switched off as well and can only throw a forlorn right hand that brushes Cleary’s shoulder as he crosses over.

The greatest comeback in grand final history is complete.

Cleary: “I just played that in the moment. It opened up. We planned a couple sets on their line but we weren’t really executing that well. Everyone was so fatigued, so I thought if I could get the ball and take them on.”

Luai: “He does it every day at training. He is on the sideline doing the ice man signal. Never count us out especially when he is in the team. He is the greatest player in the world.”

Originally published as NRL grand final: Nathan Cleary carried his Panthers to victory, his teammates relive the moment