NRL grand final 2023: Nathan Cleary wins Clive Churchill medal after epic Panthers performance

Nathan Cleary single-handedly brought his Panthers back from the jaws of defeat to win their third premiership in a row, earning him a second Clive Churchill medal.

Stop the fight. End the debate. After all the talk about where Nathan Cleary stood in the pecking order of elite halves, 20 minutes at Accor Stadium sealed his greatness.

At full-time, he picked up his second Clive Churchill medal.

“It honestly doesn't feel real right now. Can’t wait for it to set in. To the Broncos boys, absolute beast team ... very young,” Cleary said.

“Shoutout to Ezra Mam as well. You’re a freak. Thank you for that game, it’s the hardest game I have ever played.

“To our boys it’s nothing but love. We work so hard for this.

“We are still getting started, let's go.”

Cleary was a spectator for much of the contest on Sunday night but with his halves partner Jarome Luai watching the last 20 minutes from the sidelines, the NSW and Australian playmaker went to work with one of the most stunning salvos in grand final history.

On Sunday night, Batman didn’t need Robin. Batman was enough. More than enough. It was breathtaking stuff from the Penrith No. 7 as he turned Accor Stadium into his personal playground.

His Brisbane counterpart Adam Reynolds was bought by the Broncos to lead them to the promised land and as he tried to keep his side in front, Cleary did everything humanly possible to drag his side back in the contest after they fell to a 16-point deficit.

It was a knockout win to the Panthers playmaker. He had been responsible for a glaring miss on Ezra Mam that led to one of his three tries and it looked as though he took it personally as he went to work with the clock winding down.

First, he brushed off Kurt Capewell and sent Moses Leota over. At that point, Brisbane started looking nervous. They were fraying at the edges when he kicked a 40-20 and threw the last pass for Steve Crichton’s try.

The difference was four points. Luai was sitting on the edge of his seat on the sidelines, fingers and toes no doubt crossed. There was no need to be nervous.

Cleary had an incredible end to the game. Picture: AFP

Cleary had the bit between his teeth and did it all himself. He threw a dummy, stepped off his left foot and ran through a gaping hole. Scores were level and when he stepped up to kick the conversion that etched Penrith into the history books.

There were not enough superlatives in the dictionary to encapsulate what Cleary had just done. The Broncos had been magnificent but they had basically been beaten by one man.

He did it with his halves partner watching from afar, nursing a shoulder problem that he carried into the finals series. They are the best one-two punch in the game but Cleary picked up the slack in the absence of his mate.

It was a reminder that the Panthers are in good hands as Luai weighs up his future. He is free to sign with rivals on November 1 but the Panthers will be good regardless.

Luai’s night, and that of Penrith, had looked one and dusted in the 56th minute as Man crossed for his third try. Obituaries were being written and scathing criticism no doubt of the decision to start Luai given he carried a shoulder problem into the game

Luai’s fitness threatened to become an issue from the moment he dislocated his shoulder in the penultimate round against Parramatta. He returned against the Warriors last week and got through the game unscathed.

There was no getting through it on Sunday night though as the Panthers’ premiership run looked destined to come to a grinding halt. It was no coincidence that Brisbane went on the rampage when Luai made his way off the field.

Luai had run the ball five times and made 12 tackles with no misses. But he hadn’t exactly looked threatening as the Broncos put the clamps on the Panthers’ attack.

There will be questions over whether Luai should have played given he came into the game with a well-documented issue and had publicly spoken about his refusal to take pain killers.

There was only so much pain he could take on Sunday night. Luai walked off at the 51-minute mark and within five minutes the Broncos were on fire.

The Panthers looked gone. What Brisbane didn’t count on was the magic of Luai’s halves partner Cleary. What a player. What a win.

Originally published as NRL grand final 2023: Nathan Cleary wins Clive Churchill medal after epic Panthers performance