- Panthers were unbackable favourites to beat Sydney Roosters
- Were stunned in a 38-32 boilover that could be upset of the year
- One moment showed why Cleary is still the leading playmaker
The Sydney Roosters may have pulled off an early contender for upset of the season already, but Nathan Cleary showed why he still has ice running through his veins.
The Roosters were $11 outsiders ahead of Penrith’s first clash at their adoptive home CommBank Stadium on Friday night.
But the courageous Roosters, missing 788 games of NRL talent through injury and suspension on top of a mammoth player drain in the off-season, found a way to prevail 38-32 over the four-time reigning premiers.
The Panthers did their best to steal victory from the jaws of defeat and the late sin-binning of Roosters star Salesi Foketi gave them a chance, but the Roosters held firm.
However there was one moment in the match that showed why Cleary is still the NRL Iceman.
Cleary has been dubbed “The Iceman” by fans because of his composure under pressure, highlighted by his clutch performances in the last four consecutive NRL Grand Finals.
Nathan Cleary was at his composed best for Penrith but could not steer his side to victory
A Roosters fan tried to put Cleary off by throwing garbage in front of him while he was lining up a shot at goal
Cleary calmly moved the garbage and then slotted the sideline conversion to help his side stay in the match
In the 2023 Grand Final, he led Penrith to a historic three-peat with a stunning late-game comeback, scoring or assisting in all three of their final tries.
He has also won the Clive Churchill Medal twice (2021, 2023) to cement his reputation as one of the game’s greatest playmakers.
Cleary showed why against the Roosters, when a cheeky fan threw some garbage in front of him while he was lining up for a clutch kick.
As calm as you like, the Panthers halfback stepped forward, casually flicked the rubbish away, took a step back and then calmly went through his motions to slot a much-needed goal from the left sideline.
‘Nothing phases the GOAT,’ one impressed Penrith fan posted.
‘The ICE Man never bothered anyway,’ added another.
‘A fan could hit @_nathancleary with a brick and he’d still slot it. G.O.A.T,’ posted yet another.
Despite his son’s efforts, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary felt the Panthers came unprepared into their first game at their adoptive home stadium.
While it is only round 2, the Roosters win is already a contender for upset of the season
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary believes the match was lost before kickoff as the Panthers eye off a grand final re-match against Melbourne
‘That game was lost before we got here, I think, for whatever reason,’ he said.
‘We never got here thinking we were going to be perfect and that’s never something we talk about. Even in the first round we weren’t perfect at all.
‘But there were enough players tonight that weren’t anywhere near their best. Collectively, we didn’t play anywhere near what we’d like to.’
The Panthers started each of the previous two seasons with a 1-1 record before going on to win the premiership.
The side memorably dropped two of their first three games, plus the World Club Challenge, on their way to a third consecutive title in 2023.
Cleary is remaining calm ahead of next week’s grand final rematch against Melbourne, who will be fresh coming off the bye.
‘Pretty much every year you’ll see swings in performance by lots of teams at the start of the year,’ he said.
‘You’ll see a good game and then maybe not such a good game. That’s fairly normal. But it’s not something you’d accept.’
