‘He might have cried’: Nathan Cleary braces for ‘weird’ showdown with Jarome Luai as great mates prepare for first NRL meeting

Nathan Cleary remembers making Jarome Luai cry when he beat him in a big game when they were teenagers, but sledging could now replace tears.

Nathan Cleary has beaten Jarome Luai in a World Cup final and recalls being part of “the biggest upset in junior footy history” when they were teenagers coming through the Penrith system, but on Sunday the great mates will come up against each other for the first time in the NRL.

“It will be weird,” Cleary said after leading Penrith to victory over Parramatta on Sunday with a couple of huge plays in the final 20 minutes.

Cleary and Luai were the Batman and Robin for so long, with the pair putting on the cape time and time again to thwart any team foolish enough to get in their way at the business end of the season.

Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary enjoyed unprecedented success together at the Panthers. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

They won four premierships together and formed a bond for life as one of the most successful halves pairings in rugby league history, but the band has broken up with Luai now at the Wests Tigers where he’s gone from the support act to the main man.

It’s been an interesting few months apart, with the Panthers finally getting off the bottom of the table, while Luai has seen halves partner Lachlan Galvin leave to join the Bulldogs.

It sets up an enthralling clash on Sunday between two teams separated by just one point where two best friends will line up against each other for the first time since Australia beat Samoa in the 2022 World Cup final.

“I think there’s just always that mutual respect there,” Cleary said.

“We don’t talk all the time, but whenever we do or whenever we see each other, it’s always love. You’ll never be able to take away what we’ve been able to achieve together. It’s always respect and love whenever we see each other.

“The last time I remember playing him was the World Cup final and before that, we would’ve been about 16 (when) he was playing for St Marys and I was playing for Brothers (Penrith).

“We had a few duels back then but obviously it’s been a long time. I’m looking forward to it.

“He’s an outstanding player and you want to test yourself against the best. It will be a bit weird at NRL level but I’m looking forward to it.”

Luai and Cleary were teammates coming through the system at Penrith.

Cleary remembers enjoying a shock victory over Luai back when they were kids.

“I do remember probably the biggest upset in junior footy history, we beat them one day and they were stacked. They were so good. He might have cried,” Cleary laughed.

“I’m not sure that’ll happen again.

“They used to beat us just about 50-0 every time they played us and one day we got them.”

The battle of the sevens will test how far Luai has come as a chief playmaker, with the Samoan star taking the reins at Penrith last year when Cleary was injured.

And while he’ll want his footy to do the talking, Cleary won’t be shocked if Luai’s sharp tongue fires up on Sunday.

Luai is now the main man at the Tigers and won’t be afraid to sledge Cleary if they meet on the field. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

“Maybe, we’ll see (if there’s chirp). I don’t really start the chirp but if he starts it then we’ll see how it is,” he said.

“Last year really prepped him well for this year. His hands are on the ball a lot for the Tigers at the moment. Why wouldn’t you? He’s such a great player.

“Just his energy alone has lifted a lot of players around him. That’s probably his greatest asset.

“I tune in for the Tigers boys I know well, obviously Tito (Sunia Turuva), Terrell May and Romey (Luai) in particular.

“I always enjoy watching them and keeping an eye out on them. It’s been good to see them playing some good footy, particularly when they’ve got momentum, they’re one of the best teams in the comp.”

Sunday’s showdown will be Cleary’s second game back after helping the Blues to a pivotal win in the State of Origin opener in Brisbane.

It was an emotional return for a man who missed last year’s series through injury, and while he ran the ball brilliantly, Cleary had a very rare off night with the boot as he sprayed several conversions that he would normally nail.

Cleary was back to his best on Sunday after some rare misses in the Origin opener. Picture: NRL Photos

The Cleary of old would have obsessed over that and spent the next few days trying to fix everything at training, but he limited himself to 15 attempts on Saturday to not overstrain his hamstrings.

It paid off as he landed two clutch conversions from out wide to go with a late 40/20 to see off the Eels.

“I think that’s where a bit of evolution has come in,” he said, adding that “physical reps become embedded in the subconscious” after so many years of practice.

“In the past I would have had as many kicks as I could (on Saturday), but being a bit older and looking after my body, I didn’t have too many kicks.

“I need to have a few to flush it a bit, but I can rely on the training I’ve done. I’ve kicked so many goals in my life that I can take confidence out of that and rely on that a bit more.

“I just wanted to slow down a bit, and I’m glad that I had a few pressure kicks today so I could practise them.”

Originally published as ‘He might have cried’: Nathan Cleary braces for ‘weird’ showdown with Jarome Luai as great mates prepare for first NRL meeting