Nathan Cleary delivered a standout performance on Saturday, leading the Penrith Panthers to a crucial victory over the Sydney Roosters. The 27-year-old halfback continued to display his insane scoring ability. He further ingrained himself in club history as he passed Ryan Girdler’s 15-year-old record for points scored.
Cleary scored six successful conversions and a penalty goal. This accomplishment capped off his points total to a staggering 1,255 points! With this accomplishment, he became the club’s record point scorer. As he moves through the rest of his career, he’ll undoubtedly further build on that legacy. His diverse contributions were instrumental in the Panthers’ 12-6 halftime lead. This key headstart then strengthened their ability to mount a successful campaign to reclaim their premiership title.
In the decider, Cleary landed both of Penrith’s tries to perfection, showing that when the pressure is on, you can always back Cleary. His connection with teammate Dylan Edwards proved to be the most important aspect. With Alamoti on a rookie go, the incredible teamwork of Kelley and Barlow produced the winning goal. Cleary slotted a penalty with just 17 seconds gone in the second half, stretching the Panthers’ lead to 18-0.
Cleary’s tactical awareness swept the night. Not only did he shut down the Roosters’ efforts to acquire field position, he dictated the tempo and rhythm of the game. His offload proved most memorable when Roosters’ captain James Tedesco butchered it upfield into the in-goal area. This created an amazing crash course between Cleary and Edwards as they both raced after the ball.
Cleary is doing it at an unusually young age and people are paying attention. They guess he possibly only has to be afforded the decent opportunity as of late to get past mythical player Cameron Smith in overall NRL factors scored. At his current rate, he is on track to be one of the league’s all-time greats.
