Grand final Buzz: Nathan Cleary makes Immortal statement with grand final performance for ages

The superstar Penrith halfback with three straight grand final victories is as good if not better than any of rugby league’s best No.7s, writes PHIL ROTHFIELD.

Nathan Cleary celebrates with his father and coach Ivan Cleary after winning the 2023 NRL grand final. Picture: Getty Images

Welcome to the Immortals club.

Stop the arguments now … Nathan Cleary can now rightly be compared alongside the eighth immortal Andrew Johns.

You can add Johnathan Thurston, Peter Sterling, Alfie Langer, Ricky Stuart or anyone else.

This superstar Penrith halfback with three straight grand final victories is as good if not better than any of them.

An out and out champion.

As Andrew Johns said afterwards: “That last 20 minutes was the best performance by a half-back in a grand final.”

Penrith were dead set, gone for all money.

After 57 minutes they were down 24-8.

The trademark confidence and charisma had disappeared. They were momentarily shell-shocked.

Then Cleary stepped up to engineer one of the greatest revivals we have ever seen in a grand final.

Moses Leota and then Stephen Crichton score. It’s game on again.

Then Cleary surges through tired Broncos defence in the 76th minute to touch down and then bang over the conversion.

Nathan Cleary can now rightly be compared alongside the eighth immortal Andrew Johns. Picture: Getty Images

Before the game I spoke to the great Brett Kimmorley about Cleary.

Kimmorley played for Australia on 22 occasions, often beating Andrew Johns for the Kangaroos half-back jersey.

“Nathan’s strengths are his game management, his control, his calmness and his ability to come up with the right play when a game’s on the line,” he said.

So true Noddy, so true.

“By the end of his career he’ll certainly go into that category of being an immortal.” He added.

“Every now and then you get a premium player like him who breaks all the records.”

Before Cleary struck we were preparing this column on Ezra Mam.

The Broncos star produced an extraordinary game reminiscent of the great five-eighths Laurie Daley, Brett Kenny and old Cliffy Lyons.

A 20-year-old three-try hero on the biggest stage.

A player who earns less than $300,000 a season but, who in November, will become arguably the hottest player on the open market.

It looked like he’d got them over the line.

We have had five-eighths previously win the Clive Churchill Medal — Lyons, Greg Inglis, Luke Keary and Jack Wighton.

Mam’s performance was up there with any of them.

He used blistering speed to go bang, bang, bang like a missile in the 44th, 52nd and 54th minutes to blow open what had been such a tight contest.

Ezra Mam produced an extraordinary game for the Broncos.

Not for years had Penrith buckled under such a 10-minute onslaught.

This football game was a colossal contest.

Referee Adam Gee deserves credit for letting the game flow. No six-agains and just two penalties in first half.

He turned a blind eye to the more minor infringements that nit-picking refs would have stopped games for during the season.

It started like a fourth State of Origin match, ferocious body contact, off-the-charts intensity.

Liam Martin was hitting like a sledgehammer.

Moses Leota and Pat Carrigan had one collision that shook the recently named Cathy Freeman stand.

Penrith’s discipline was where we expected it to be with 11 straight set-completions in the first 20 minutes. At the same time the Broncos had just three from their first seven.

You just can’t give Penrith that much ball.

Dylan Edwards won the battle of the fullbacks.

he’d made 270 metres to Reece Walsh’s 105.

But in the end Cleary was the difference.

You felt sorry for the Broncos and think about where they’ve come from.

A wooden spoon in 2020 and then 14th in Kevvy Walters’ first year.

A late-season capitulation 12 months ago to miss the finals.

They now have a footy side to be proud of. You could back them to be there again on grand final day next year.

HIGHLIGHT

Forget Robbie Williams, Kiss or anyone else who has performed south of the border, nothing beats a Tina Turner show and Simply The Best being belted out in front of a full house at Accor Stadium, 30 years on from the rock legend’s iconic performance at the 1993 grand final at the old Sydney Football Stadium.

LOWLIGHT

An ugly brawl in the Koori Knockout on the Central Coast involving NRL superstar Josh Addo-Carr and other high-profile figures who should have known better.

SPOTTED

Tigers skipper Api Koroisau in the crowd at Accor Stadium, no doubt cheering for his former Penrith Panthers teammates.

SPOTTED II

The NRL saluted retiring stars on social media with a picture montage of players. It was a nice piece of work apart from the fact that a picture of old Sharks prop Andrew Fifita was used instead of Wade Graham.

NRL grand final stuff up. Andrew Fifita used instead of Wade Graham.

SPOTTED III

Manly stars Josh Schuster and Jason Saab with Parramatta’s Matthew Doorey and their manager Mario Tartak in Las Vegas for the Canelo Alvarez v Jermell Charlo world title fight at T-Mobile Arena.

Josh Schuster, Matthew Doorey and Jason Saab at the Canelo Alvarez v Jermell Charlo fight in Vegas.

SPOTTED IV

Politicians love the comfort of a corporate suite at the finals. Not necessarily NSW sports minister Steve Kamper, who was seen lapping up the atmosphere in general public seats with two of his grandchildren.

SPOTTED V

They pop up everywhere – this time a random South Sydney fan in the front row at the AFL grand final among Magpies and Lions fans.

Random Souths guy at the MCG for the AFL grand final.

SPOTTED VI

The AFL had its own Daine Laurie moment at the GF. Sydney Swans fans weren’t happy to see defender Robbie Fox wearing a Collingwood guernsey as he celebrated the grand final win with great mate Brody Mihocek. A bit like when former Tigers star Laurie wore a Panthers jersey to celebrate their 2021 title.

Swans star Robbie Fox doing a Daine Laurie in a Collingwood jersey.

UNLIKE NRL, AFL JUDGING PANEL TRANSPARENT

Voting for the Norm Smith Medal on AFL grand final day is far more transparent than the NRL’s Clive Churchill Medal judging.

The AFL not only reveals the names of its five judges but how they voted on a 3-2-1 basis, with former GWS Giant Bobby Hill getting a maximum 15 votes on Saturday.

The NRL won’t even reveal who votes on the Dally M points each week, let alone how the judges come up with the Churchill Medal winner.

TV BLOCKBUSTER

The AFL would be delighted with Channel 7’s grand final television ratings in Sydney.

The audience in Sydney was 361,000, beating AFL strongholds Adelaide (265,000) and Perth (312,000). With the Lions playing, Brisbane had 414,000.

The coverage scored an average total television audience of 3.75 million viewers, the highest show on TV this year outside of the Matildas at the World Cup.

REGGIE RETIRED HOT

Sydney’s blazing heat brought down much-loved South Sydney mascot Reggie the Rabbit at Accor Stadium.

The 79-year-old man in the suit, Charlie Gallico, succumbed to the stifling conditions and couldn’t make it to halftime in the Bunnies’ State Championship victory.

360 VIEW

Catch you on NRL 360 tonight on Fox League at 6.30pm with Braith Anasta, Gorden Tallis and Brent Read for one final episode of the year. We’ll dissect the big issues from the decider, all the drama from behind the scenes and crucial moments that decided the match.

Originally published as Grand final Buzz: Nathan Cleary makes Immortal statement with grand final performance for ages