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Iceman Cleary’s epic golden point winner breaks brave Knights’ hearts

NRL superstar Nathan Cleary stepped up when his team needed him the most in a stunning piece of individual brilliance.

Eamonn Tiernan
5 min read
April 15, 2023 - 8:39PM
The Penrith Panthers won a thriller.
The Penrith Panthers won a thriller.
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Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary has booted a 39-metre field goal in golden point to win it 16-15 and break Newcastle hearts in a fiery clash on Saturday night.

The game went to extra time after a frantic final 10 minutes saw things finish at 15-15 in regulation in front of 26,084 fans at a pumping McDonald Jones Stadium.

Newcastle fullback Lachie Miller missed a go-ahead penalty goal before Tyson Gamble put their side ahead in the 75th minute, but Nathan Cleary struck back with a one-pointer of his own to send it to golden point.

Cleary knocked over an early penalty goal before Tyson Gamble, Tyson Frizell and Phoenix Crossland all scored first-half tries for the Knights.

Gamble was wearing the No. 6 jersey a week before Kalyn Ponga’s scheduled return and he scored after throwing a dummy on the left edge in the 12th minute.

“Well hold on it’s Newcastle all of a sudden, in front and with the ascendancy,” Mick Ennis said on Fox League.

The Knights went over again when Dane Gagai threw a bullet out of dummyhalf for Frizell to crash over from close range in the 18th minute.

“They are giving it to the reigning premiers,” Warren Smith said on Fox League.

The Panthers hit back when Gagai gave away a penalty in his own half for dissent and moments later Brian To’o scored out wide.

But the Knights went in again when Crossland, who is playing hooker after Jayden Brailey did his ACL last week, chased his own kick to score in the 28th minute.

“They’re on track here for perhaps the upset of the season,” Smith said.

“There is some genuine belief building,” Ennis responded.

Penrith were awarded a try on the stroke of halftime when Soni Luke put a grubber through for Scott Sorensen, but the Bunker found a knock on.

In the second half, Cleary knocked over another penalty goal before Jaeman Salmon crashed over in the 58th minute to lock up the scores at 14-14.

“This champion side has found a way through,” Ennis said.

The Penrith Panthers won a thriller.
The Penrith Panthers won a thriller.

Miller had a chance to put the Knights ahead in the 70th minute but for the third time in the game he pulled his kick left.

Cleary then missed a field goal from in front with five minutes left and Newcastle marched down field on the next set before Gamble kicked a one-pointer from 35 metres.

Cleary then had another shot and nailed it to lock it up at 15-15 and he was taken out late by Lachlan Fitzgibbon but no penalty was blown. It caused a melee that took several minutes to sort out.

But Cleary had the last laugh after winning the toss and marching his side 70 metres down field to boot the winner just 45 seconds into golden point.

Here are three of the biggest talking points from the match.

ICEMAN CLEARY DOES IT AGAIN

Nathan Cleary has once again delivered a match-winning play to further solidify his status as the best rugby league player in the world.

Phil Gould says it ad nauseam: some players want the ball in their hands with the game on the line, and some players don’t.

Cleary doesn’t just want the ball in his hand, he demands it, and he’s proven once again that he relishes the high-pressure moments.

‘In position the iceman, head over the ball, cracks it straight underneath and drills it between the sticks,” Mick Ennis said.

“What a champion of our game, Nathan Cleary, with ice in his veins delivers and gets Penrith an incredible win here in Newcastle.”

Cooper Cronk, who booted his fair share of game winners during his decorated NRL career, said Cleary’s field goal was no fluke.

“He just keeps delivering, he missed a couple in regulation, but you’ve got to love that when a guy kicks it from 40, puts his finger up and says it’s my time,” Cronk said.

“That’s not luck, that is class, that is precision, that is a calm head in difficult times, that is tremendous.”

The Panthers weren’t at their best, making 13 errors, but Cleary said it was important to win ugly sometimes.

“I had to make up for the two before that, they were shanks so I owed it to the team and got in a good position with the wind, pretty happy with that,” Cleary said.

“They’re the kind of games you need to win, when they’re ugly so happy to get that one.”

GREATEST CAPTAIN’S CHALLENGE OF ALL TIME

It was likely the first time in NRL history a player has been recalled from the sin bin and it likely saved Penrith from losing the game.

Panthers forward Spencer Leniu was recalled from the sin bin in the 37th minute after “the best captain’s challenges of all time”.

Leniu was binned in the 37th minute for a professional foul, ruled to have taken out a kick chaser, only for the decision to be challenged and overturned.

Knights halfback Jackson Hastings put in a chip behind Penrith’s defence with Tyson Gamble chasing the ball.

Gamble hit the deck in his chase and referee Peter Gough immediately sent Leniu to the bin — and the bench prop was left absolutely stunned.

The 22-year-old protested with the referee and could be seen saying “what the f*** was that for?” to his teammates before the Panthers called for a captain’s challenge.

“It’s Sorensen, not Leniu. Leniu has done nothing wrong. Leniu doesn’t touch anyone, he collides with Sorensen,” Ennis said.

“Spencer Leniu turns to face the ball, the contact is incidental, the kick is then diffused in goal,” Bunker referee Ashley Klein said.

“That was the best captain’s challenge in the history of our game,” Cooper Cronk said.

KNIGHTS DELIVER ON THEIR PROMISE

The quotes that TV types are able to extract from sweaty, frothing NRL players as they trudge off the field at half-time are almost uniformly dull, with talk of ‘completions’ and ‘discipline’ and ‘the boys digging deep’.

They could all learn from Jackson Hastings.

On his way off the field at half-time, with his Knights leading premiers Penrith by 14-6, Hastings told TV man James Hooper: “This is why you play. This is why you play for Newcastle.

“They (the fans) have been doing this since however long they’ve been in the comp, since ’88. Good times, bad times.

“We just wanted to give them one good half.”

They did that. The home team was inspired by the bumper crowd of 26,084 at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night and the vociferous chants of “NEW-castle”.

The home team turned in a tireless defensive effort that continually turned away the star-studded Panthers.

Until they didn’t. And after duelling field goals in regular time, a feisty and hard-fought fixture was settled in extra time when Nathan Cleary landed a Golden Point.

- Matt Cleary, NCA Newswire

Originally published as Iceman Cleary’s epic golden point winner breaks brave Knights’ hearts

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/iceman-clearys-epic-golden-point-winner-breaks-brave-knights-hearts/news-story/4ac61f148a6d0927eabcbc1ea687dfb8