By Billie Eder
There are precious few sights more enjoyable to Penrith fans than Nathan Cleary returning from injury on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
One, however, would be Cleary delivering a 45-metre field goal in front of 20,955 fans to inspire a 28-26 golden point victory over the Dolphins at BlueBet Stadium.
The crowd waited in silence as the ball from Cleary’s boot propelled towards the sticks. They’d had a nervous end to the second half, when the Panthers couldn’t ice the match despite the Dolphins losing Josh Kerr to the sin-bin with five minutes left.
But as the ball straightened and soared through the posts, the crowd erupted with Cleary, who had spent nine weeks watching from the sideline after suffering a hamstring injury in round 10.
Many players would hesitate at the long-range clutch play, but not Cleary. In his own words, “I sort of just back myself”.
“On the third tackle I was thinking ‘there’s no way I’m going to have a shot’,” Cleary said. “But I think it was Daino [Daine Laurie] and Eiso [Matt Eisenhuth] had two great carries, and I knew I was pretty much going to have no pressure and I had the wind behind my back. I don’t know, I just felt pretty confident.”
Nathan Cleary kicks the match-winning field goal.Credit: Getty Images
“I’m sort of planning [for the field goal] as the set goes on, but I think if you can have a shot, and you know you can get the distance – well, for me anyway – then with no pressure, I’m usually going to take it.
“I didn’t know [if it was going over]. I kicked it and to be honest, I didn’t kick it as sweet as I could, but I knew it was straight and then as it was in the air, [Mitch] Kenny turned around and started running at me. I was still watching it hoping it would get over, and then when it went over it was pretty surreal.”
It was just his sixth game for the Panthers this year, and the two-point field goal to close out his comeback marks the 16th of his career.
The Dolphins had the chance to win the match themselves, despite being a man down, after Jamayne Isaako surged upfield with three minutes remaining.
Ice in the veins: Nathan Cleary.Credit: Getty Images
But on the final play of the set, instead of going for a field goal of their own, Katoa sent the ball out to the wing rather than over the posts.
It was a lapse in judgment that cost the Dolphins the game, and delivered Cleary a dream return.
Field goal aside, Cleary’s comeback wasn’t exactly what you’d expect from a player widely considered the best in the competition. As coach and father Ivan described it, there was a bit of “rust” in Cleary’s game, but he made it count when the team needed him the most.
With Dylan Edwards, Jarome Luai and Issah Yeo – among others – missing, Cleary found it difficult to produce a showstopping performance behind a less experienced Penrith pack.
But there were moments of Cleary magic leading up to that field goal finish. His first touch of the game was a kick at the end of the Panthers’ first set, but his real entrance was an assist that led to Sunia Turuva’s try in the third minute.
The experienced half cleaned up a rogue pass on the Dolphins line, before throwing a quarterback-like pass to Turuva on the edge.
After the Dolphins pulled ahead by 14 with a try and a penalty kick in the second half, Daine Laurie and Moses Leota scored to bring the Panthers within two, before the Kerr sin-bin gifted Cleary the opportunity to level the scores.
From there the game was over.
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