Nathan Cleary
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Nathan Cleary (born 14 November 1997) is an Australian professional
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
footballer who captains and plays as a for the
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
in the
National Rugby League The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
and plays for NSW Blues in State of Origin . Widely considered one of the best players in the modern era, Cleary was in five consecutive grand finals from
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
-2024. He was co-captain in four straight grand finals wins (
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
,
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
,
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
). He received the
Clive Churchill Medal The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australia ...
in
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
and
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, as well as winning
Dally M The Dally M Awards are the official annual player awards for the National Rugby League competition. As well as honouring the player of the year, who received the Dally M Medal, awards are also given to the premier player in each position, the be ...
Halfback of The Year in both
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
and
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
. He also vice-captained NSW from 2020-2023. He has represented
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
at international level, winning the
2022 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received  ...
. He represented City NSW in 2017.


Background

Cleary is the son of coach and former professional rugby league footballer
Ivan Cleary Ivan Cleary (born 1 March 1971) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is the head coach of the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League (NRL) and a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and in the 199 ...
who coaches him at the Penrith Panthers. Cleary was born in
Sydney, New South Wales Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, Australia. He spent a number of his childhood years living in
Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand while his father was playing for, and later coaching, the
New Zealand Warriors The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...
. He attended
Sacred Heart College, Auckland Sacred Heart College is a state-integrated secondary school in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a Catholic, Marist College set on of land in Glen Innes. History The college was opened on 21 June 1903, in Ponsonby, by the Marist Brothers. It ...
for two years and, having grown up playing
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
, Cleary switched to rugby league during his pre-teens, playing at a junior level for the
Mount Albert Lions The Mount Albert Lions are a rugby league club based in Mount Albert, New Zealand. The Lions home ground is at Fowlds Park. Their patron is the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. In 2008 and 2009 Auckland Rugby League season, 2009 ...
in Auckland and the
Penrith Brothers Penrith Brothers Rugby League Football Club is an Australian rugby league football club based in Penrith, New South Wales which was formed in 1968. It was initially known as St. Dominics RLFC but was rebranded as Penrith Brothers RLFC in 2003. O ...
in Sydney. He completed his HSC while attending
St Dominic's College, Penrith St Dominic's College is an independent Catholic secondary day school for boys, located in Kingswood, a subset of Penrith, a suburb in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. St. Dominic's College was established in 1873 by the Congregation ...
in 2015, where he was a
prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...
. Cleary is of Croatian and Ukrainian descent. He is the nephew of
Josh Stuart Josh Stuart (born 20 December 1972) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the North Sydney Bears and Northern Eagles in the National Rugby League. Early life Stuart grew up in Sydney, attending St Paul's Co ...
and
Jason Death Jason Death (pronounced ; born 25 August 1971) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. Primarily a , he played for the Canberra Raiders, North Queensland Cowboys, New Zealand Warriors and ...
.


Playing career


Early career

Cleary progressed through the Penrith club's junior system, playing in their
Harold Matthews Cup The NSWRL Harold Matthews Cup is a junior rugby league competition played in New South Wales between teams made up of players aged under 17. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL). The competition is made up ...
(under 16) and
S. G. Ball Cup The S. G. Ball Cup is a junior rugby league football competition played predominantly in New South Wales, between teams made up of male players aged under 19. Teams from Canberra and Melbourne, and Auckland also participate. Prior to the COVID ...
(under 18) teams, the latter of which he captained in 2015. He appeared for the
Windsor Wolves The Windsor Wolves are a rugby league team based in the town of Windsor, New South Wales. The club fields both junior and senior teams in the Penrith District Rugby League competitions. The club has fielded teams in semi-professional, New Sout ...
in the
Ron Massey Cup The Ron Massey Cup (formerly known as the Bundaberg Red Cup and Jim Beam Cup) is a semi-professional development level rugby league competition in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, run jointly by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and the ...
and
Sydney Shield The Sydney Shield is a rugby league football competition played in Sydney, New South Wales. The competition is administered by the New South Wales Rugby League. Clubs Ten teams will compete in the 2025 Sydney Shield. The fixture list is availabl ...
in a handful of games, before being called into Penrith's National Youth Competition (under 20) squad mid-season. Cleary was unavailable to play in Penrith's 2015 NYC Grand Final winning team due to his selection in the
Australian Schoolboys The Australian Schoolboys refer to junior teams that represent Australia in various sports. The name is mainly used in rugby league, rugby union and baseball. Other popular team sports in Australia such as cricket, basketball, association footbal ...
team, whom he captained during their two match series against New Zealand under-18s. Cleary played 20 games, scoring 11 tries and kicking 109 goals for 262 points in his U20s career from 2015 to 2016.


2016

Starting the season as Penrith's first-choice halfback in the NYC, Cleary was selected to play for the
Junior Kangaroos The Junior Kangaroos side represents Australia in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kangaroos, after the native marsupial of that name. Since 2019, they are an under-23 side, with players selected from the NRL. Th ...
against the
Junior Kiwis The Junior Kiwis side represents New Zealand in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kiwis, after the native bird of that name. Since 2010, they are an under-20s side, with players selected from the NRL, Intrust Sup ...
in May, where he played at five-eighth scoring a try and kicking 5 goals in the 34-20 win. He made his
New South Wales Cup The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...
debut for the Penrith club in round 11, the only game he'd play in that competition in 2016. On 2 June, He extended his contract with the Panthers until the end of the 2019 season; his decision to do so voided a 'father-son' clause in his contract, which would have allowed him to leave the club following his father's dismissal as Penrith's head coach late the previous year, had he so pleased. Two days after the signing, in round 13, Cleary made his
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
debut for the
Penrith Panthers The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Greater Western Sydney suburb of Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL). The team is based west of the cen ...
against the
Melbourne Storm The Melbourne Storm is a rugby league football club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia that participates in the National Rugby League (NRL). The club plays its home games at AAMI Park, and wears a purple and navy blu ...
at five-eighth. Despite a 6-24 defeat at
AAMI Park The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the suburb of East Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victor ...
, Cleary had a great debut; making 38 tackles. The next week against the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League sea ...
, Cleary scored his first NRL try, as well as kicking five goals in Penrith's 31-24 win at
Brookvale Oval Brookvale Oval, currently known as 4 Pines Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Brookvale, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by the M ...
. Following a man of the match performance against the
South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club, also known as the South Sydney Rabbitohs, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, New South Wales, Maroubra that competes in the Nat ...
in round 15,
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
said of Cleary: " t'shard to believe he is only 18 playing his third NRL game. Composed under pressure, kicked well and supported inside for a crucial second half try." After the departure of seasoned half
Jamie Soward Jamie Soward (born 13 November 1984) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, and the former head-coach of St. George Illawarra Dragons Women in the NRLW. A New South Wales State of Origin and Indigenous All-Stars rep ...
and Peter Wallace shifting to hooker, Cleary remained at halfback for the rest of the season. He was in the race for the rookie of the year award, but lost to the
Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership, Australia's elite rugby league competition. Since 2008, the ...
halfback,
Ashley Taylor Ashley Taylor (born 17 March 1995) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played as a for the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL. He previously played for the Brisbane Broncos and the Gold Coast Titans in the Nation ...
. He finished his debut season with 3 tries and 52 goals from 15 matches. He was the Penrith club's highest point-scorer with 116 points. Cleary was rewarded with being named in the emerging NSW Blues squad.


2017

Cleary was named in Penrith's squad for the
2017 NRL Auckland Nines The 2017 NRL Auckland Nines (known as the Downer NRL Auckland Nines due to sponsorship) was the fourth NRL Auckland Nines competition. It was held on 4–5 February 2017 at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Just like previous tournaments, it ...
. On 1 May, Cleary was named in the NSW City Origin representative team to play in the last ever City vs Country game. He finished the season as highest pointscorer in the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
with a total of 228 points, the youngest player to achieve this since 1913. He played in all 26 games for the Penrith club, scoring 11 tries and kicking 92 goals. Cleary also became the youngest player ever to score 200 points in a season.


2018

Cleary started the 2018 season as possibly the NRL's form player before suffering a knee injury in Round 3 against
Canterbury-Bankstown Canterbury-Bankstown is a customary region of Sydney, Australia, in Inner South-Western Sydney. The region is located to the north of the St George region (from which it is separated by Wolli Creek) and to the south of the Inner West region ...
where Penrith lost 20-18 at
ANZ Stadium Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...
. While he was out with the injury, Cleary was still leading in contention for the halfback spot for New South Wales. Cleary made his return to the field in Round 11 against his father's team the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
, where he helped steer the Penrith club to a 16-2 victory at
Penrith Stadium Penrith Stadium, currently known as BlueBet Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthe ...
. In his next performance in Round 12 against table toppers the
St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons are an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since 1999 after a j ...
, Cleary earned his spot in the
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
squad after a fine match, scoring a try as Penrith won convincingly 28-2 at
Penrith Stadium Penrith Stadium, currently known as BlueBet Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthe ...
. On 6 June 2018, Cleary made his debut for New South Wales in Game 1 of the
2018 State of Origin series The 2018 State of Origin series was the 37th State of Origin series, annual best-of-three series between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, ...
against
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, starting at halfback in the 22-12 win at the
MCG The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the el ...
. Later that week, he kicked the match winning field goal in Penrith's 23–22 win over
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
at
GIO Stadium Canberra Stadium, commercially known as GIO Stadium Canberra, is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia. It is the largest sp ...
. He played in all 3 Origin games that year for the Blues at halfback.


2019

In the opening rounds of the 2019 season, Cleary had been criticized by sections of the media and fans for Penrith's underwhelming start to the season. In Round 4, Cleary kicked a goal from the sideline after the final siren to send their game against the
Wests Tigers The Wests Tigers is an Australian professional rugby league football team, based in the Inner West of Sydney and South Western Sydney. The Tigers have competed in the National Rugby League (NRL) since being formed at the end of the 1999 N ...
into extra time. Cleary then kicked a 40 metre field goal to win the game for Penrith 9-8. On 27 May, Cleary was selected at halfback for New South Wales in Game 1 of the
2019 State of Origin series The 2019 State of Origin series was the 38th State of Origin series, annual best-of-three series between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, ...
despite his lacklustre start to the year and with Penrith only managing 2 wins from their first 9 games. Despite New South Wales losing the first game, Cleary was retained for the second game in Perth which New South Wales won 38-6 at
Perth Stadium Perth Stadium, commercially known as Optus Stadium due to sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the Burswood, Western Australia, Burswood suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It was completed during late 2017 and officially opened ...
. In Round 18 against St George, Cleary scored a try and kicked 6 goals as Penrith won the match 40-18 at
Penrith Park Penrith Stadium, currently known as BlueBet Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league and association football stadium located in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. The 22,500 capacity venue is the home ground for the Penrith Panthe ...
. In round 25, the final game of the year, Cleary scored 4 tries and kicked 9 goals in their 54-10 victory over Newcastle. In this game Cleary scored 34 points to have the 2nd most points scored in a single game in the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
. Cleary put on a master class despite this game having no impact on the finals as Penrith finished a disappointing 10th.


2020

In round 12, Cleary scored one try and kicked seven goals as Penrith defeated Manly 42–12 at
Brookvale Oval Brookvale Oval, currently known as 4 Pines Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Brookvale, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by the M ...
. In the 2020 qualifying final against the
Sydney Roosters Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
, Cleary scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
and kicked a field goal in Penrith's 29–28 victory. Cleary played a total of 21 games for Penrith in the
2020 NRL season The 2020 NRL season was the 113th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 23rd season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 14th consecutive year. ; Notes : : : Pre-season ...
including the
grand final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...
. He threw a pass in the first half of the match which was intercepted by Melbourne winger
Suliasi Vunivalu Suliasi Bainiua Vunivalu (born 27 November 1995) is a professional rugby union footballer who plays for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby and the Australian national team. His regular playing position is wing. Vunivalu previously played ...
who raced away to score a try at a pivotal moment in the game, but scored a last minute try and kicked two goals in the 26–20 loss. Cleary was selected by New South Wales for the
2020 State of Origin series The 2020 State of Origin series was the 39th State of Origin series, annual best-of-three series between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Q ...
. He played poorly in the game 1 loss, with
Andrew Johns Andrew Gary Johns (born 19 May 1974), also known by the nickname Joey, is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He is considered one of the greatest rugby league players of all time. Johns ...
calling for him to be dropped. Roy Masters said, "Cleary has a weakness and the Maroons have identified it. Cleary's below-par performances in the NRL grand final and the first State of Origin match are directly related to the pressure imposed on his kicking game." He was awarded man of the match in game 2 of the series, where he was praised for his exceptional kicking game, but another loss in game 3 saw a shock 2-1 series defeat. He said after, "2020 as a whole has been a roller coaster, really. I've ridden the highs and lows. I've lost some pretty big games in the last month."


2021

In round 10, Cleary scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
and kicked eight goals in Penrith's 48-12 victory over the Gold Coast. The following week, he scored two tries and kicked ten goals in Penrith's 56-12 victory over South Sydney. Cleary kicked eight goals for New South Wales in the opening game of the
2021 State of Origin series The 2021 State of Origin series was the 40th annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland has won 22 times, NSW 15 times, with two series drawn. The venue for Game 1 w ...
as they defeated Queensland 50-6. On 30 June, it was announced Cleary would be unable to play for an indefinite period after suffering a shoulder injury. In round 22, he made his return to the Penrith team in a 34-16 victory over St. George Illawarra. Cleary played a total of 20 games for Penrith in the
2021 NRL season The 2021 NRL season was the 114th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 24th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 15th consecutive year. Regular season Ladd ...
including the club's
2021 NRL Grand Final The 2021 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2021 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Sunday 3 October at Suncorp Stadi ...
victory over South Sydney. Cleary was awarded the
Clive Churchill Medal The Clive Churchill Medal is the award given to the player judged to be man-of-the-match in the National Rugby League's annual Grand Final. The award was created to honour Clive Churchill, one of the greatest rugby league players in Australia ...
for being man of the match. He was also named Dally M Halfback of the year. On 19 October, Cleary was handed a proposed $7000 fine by the
NRL The National Rugby League (also known as the NRL Telstra Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria (state), Victoria, the Austral ...
and a breach notice which alleges that he acted contrary to the best interests of the game after he was photographed on social media acting in a disrespectful manner toward the NRL Telstra Premiership Trophy. Although Cleary nor any of the Penrith players had broken the trophy, the NRL alleges Cleary and teammate
Stephen Crichton Stephen Crichton (born 22 September 2000) is a Samoan professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League. He has represented New South Wales rugby league team, New ...
showed disrespect towards the individuals depicted in the iconic moment memorialised on the Trophy.


2022

On 29 May, Cleary was selected by New South Wales to play in game one of the
2022 State of Origin series The 2022 State of Origin series was the 41st State of Origin series, annual best-of-three series between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Q ...
. In round 14 of the
2022 NRL season The 2022 NRL season was the 115th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 25th season run by the National Rugby League. Teams The lineup of teams remained unchanged for the 16th consecutive year. This became the second longest ...
, Cleary scored a try and kicked seven goals in Penrith's 42-6 victory over
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
. In game 2 of the
2022 State of Origin series The 2022 State of Origin series was the 41st State of Origin series, annual best-of-three series between the Queensland rugby league team, Queensland and New South Wales rugby league team, New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Q ...
, Cleary scored two tries and kicked eight goals in New South Wales 44-12 victory over Queensland. In game 3, New South Wales were behind 16-12 against Queensland with less than two minutes remaining when Cleary elected a chip kick over the top of the defensive line which was intercepted by Queensland's Ben Hunt who ran 70 metres to score the match winning try. In round 20, Cleary was sent off in Penrith's 34-10 loss against
Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
for a dangerous lifting tackle. On 30 July, Cleary was suspended for five games over the tackle which meant he would miss the remainder of the 2022 regular season. In the 2022 Qualifying Final, Cleary returned to the Penrith side and put in a man of the match performance in the club's 27-8 victory over
Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
. Cleary played for 17 games for Penrith throughout the year including their
2022 NRL Grand Final The 2022 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2022 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Parramatta Eels on Sunday the 2nd of October at Accor Stad ...
victory over
Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
. In October he was named in the Australia squad for the
2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received  ...
. In the second match of Australia's
2021 Rugby League World Cup The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received  ...
campaign, Cleary made his debut for Australia scoring one try and kicking 12 goals during an 84-0 victory over Scotland. Cleary played for Australia in their 2021 Rugby League World Cup final victory over Samoa.


2023

On 18 February, Cleary played in Penrith's 13-12 upset loss to
St Helens RFC St Helens R.F.C., commonly known as Saints, is a professional rugby league club in St Helens, Merseyside, England. Founded in 1873, the club is one of the oldest members of the Rugby Football League, and one of the most successful clubs in its ...
in the
2023 World Club Challenge The 2023 World Club Challenge (known as the 2023 Betfred World Club Challenge for sponsorship reasons) was the 29th staging of the World Club Challenge. The match was contested by the NRL winners Penrith Panthers, and Super League champions S ...
. In round 4 of the
2023 NRL season The 2023 NRL season was the 116th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 26th season run by the National Rugby League. The season consisted of 27 competition rounds, the longest in league history, followed by a finals series ...
, Cleary kicked a two-point field goal from 40 metres out with seconds remaining to tie the game between Penrith and Parramatta at 16-16. Penrith would go on to lose the match 17-16 in golden point extra-time. The following week, Cleary scored one try, kicked eight goals and one field goal in Penrith's 53-12 victory over Canberra. In round 6, Cleary scored two tries and kicked seven goals in Penrith's 44-12 victory over Manly. In round 7, Cleary kicked two field goals including the winner during Penrith's 16-15 golden point extra-time victory over Newcastle. On 22 May, Cleary was selected by New South Wales for game one of the
2023 State of Origin series The 2023 State of Origin series was the 42nd annual best-of-three series between the Queensland and New South Wales rugby league teams. Before this series, Queensland had won 23 times, NSW 16 times, with two series drawn. Venues Game I was hel ...
. In round 14, Cleary was taken from the field during Penrith's 26-18 victory over St. George Illawarra with a leg injury. It was later announced that Cleary would be ruled out for up to six weeks with a torn hamstring. In round 21, Cleary made his return to the Penrith side in their 44-18 victory over Canterbury. In the 2023 preliminary final, Cleary scored a try and kicked seven goals in Penrith's dominant 38-4 victory over Melbourne. Cleary played 22 matches for Penrith in the 2023 NRL season including the club's 26-24 victory over Brisbane in the
2023 NRL Grand Final The 2023 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2023 National Rugby League season in Australia. It was contested between the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos on Sunday the 1st of October at Stadium Aus ...
as Penrith won their third straight premiership. Cleary won the Clive Churchill medal as man of the match after he inspired the Penrith side to come back from a 16 point deficit with less than 20 minutes to go, the largest successful Grand Final turnaround of NRL history despite suffering a grade 3 torn PCL in the ninth minute of the match. With star team-mates
Jarome Luai Jarome Luai (born 16 January 1997) is a international rugby league footballer who plays as a or and is co-captain for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League, NRL (National Rugby League). He previously played for the Penrith Panthers ...
(shoulder),
Isaah Yeo Isaah Patrick Ferguson-Yeo (born 6 November 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who co-captains and plays as a forward for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL and captains New South Wales in State of Origin and Australia a ...
and
Scott Sorensen Scott Sorensen (born 16 March 1993) is a New Zealand national rugby league team, New Zealand international rugby league footballer who plays as a forward and for the Penrith Panthers in the National Rugby League, NRL. He won the 2021 NRL Gra ...
(both HIA) forced from the field, Cleary remarkably orchestrated the comeback effort with involvements in all three tries. He assisted Moses Leota (62 mins) and
Stephen Crichton Stephen Crichton (born 22 September 2000) is a Samoan professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League. He has represented New South Wales rugby league team, New ...
(67 mins), before scoring the winning try himself with less than three minutes remaining.


2024

On 24 February, Cleary played in Penrith's
2024 World Club Challenge The 2024 World Club Challenge was the 30th staging of the World Club Challenge, an annual rugby league match between the reigning champions of the Super League and the National Rugby League. The Wigan Warriors hosted the Penrith Panthers at DW S ...
final loss against the
Wigan Warriors The Wigan Warriors is an English professional rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club competes in the Super League, the top tier of the British rugby league system. Formed in 1872, the club is a founding member of the Ru ...
. Cleary scored a try during the first half of the match. On 25 March, it was announced that Cleary would be ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury. On 12 May it was announced that Cleary would again be ruled out for eight weeks after he re-injured his hamstring in Penrith's round 10 win against Canterbury. In round 20, Cleary made his return to the Penrith team and kicked a two-point field goal in golden point extra-time as they defeated the
Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
28–26. The following week, Cleary scored a hat-trick and kicked seven goals in Penrith's 46–10 victory over St. George Illawarra. In round 24, Cleary suffered a shoulder injury in Penrith's narrow loss to Melbourne and was ruled out for an indefinite period. Cleary made his return to the Penrith lineup in their 30–10 qualifying final victory over the Sydney Roosters. Cleary played a total of 13 matches for Penrith in the 2024 NRL season including the clubs 14–6 grand final victory over the Melbourne Storm.


2025

In round 7 of the
2025 NRL season The 2025 NRL season is the 118th season of professional rugby league in Australia and the 28th season run by the National Rugby League (NRL). The regular season will be followed by a finals series contested by the top eight teams on the competiti ...
, Cleary became Penrith's all-time record point scorer during the clubs 40–12 victory over the Sydney Roosters.


Honours

Individual * Ben Alexander Rookie of the Year: 2016 * Penrith Panthers Members' Player of the Year: 2016, 2020 * Dally M Halfback of the Year: 2020, 2021 * RLPA Players' Champion: 2020 * RLPA Halfback of the Year: 2020, 2021 * Brad Fittler Medal: 2020 * Merv Cartwright Medal: 2020, 2021 * Clive Churchill Medal: 2021, 2023 Penrith Panthers * NRL Minor Premiership: 2020, 2022 ,2023 * Co-Captain: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 * NRL Premiership: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 New South Wales * State of Origin series: 2018, 2019, 2021. * Vice-Captain: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 Australia * World Cup: 2021


Statistics


Club Statistics


Head To Head Record


Points vs Every Team


Personal life

Cleary is co-owner of Drink West Brewery with
Tyson Pedro Tyson Pedro (born 17 September 1991) is an Australian former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Pedro is an Australian of American Samoan h ...
and
Tai Tuivasa Tai Anthony Tuivasa (born 16 March 1993) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of June 10, 2025, he is #11 in the UFC heavyweight r ...
. In October 2023, Cleary announced his support for the Yes campaign for an
Indigenous Voice to Parliament The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, also known as the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the First Nations Voice or simply the Voice, was a proposed Australian federal advisory body to comprise Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal a ...
. In August 2023, Cleary started dating Australian
Matildas The Australia women's national soccer team is overseen by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is currently a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the regional ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) s ...
star Mary Fowler. The two went public with their relationship in January 2024.


Controversy


Coronavirus controversy

On 28 April 2020, Cleary was fined $10,000 by the NRL after breaking isolation protocols during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Cleary was pictured at his home with a group of women on
Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...
, and the photo was uploaded to social media. Cleary later apologised to the Penrith club and his teammates over the incident. However, a video of Cleary dancing with the women then emerged, thus bringing the validity of his apology into question. For lying about the incident, Cleary was hit with a two-match ban as well as a $30,000 fine. It was then revealed that Cleary lied about the girls visiting his house and actually went to pick them up.


References


Notes


External links


Penrith Panthers profileNRL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleary, Nathan 1997 births Living people Australia national rugby league team players Australian people of Croatian descent Australian people of Ukrainian descent Australian rugby league players New South Wales City Origin rugby league team players New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players Penrith Panthers players Junior Kangaroos players Windsor Wolves players Penrith Panthers captains Rugby league halfbacks Rugby league players from Sydney Clive Churchill Medal winners Australian company founders Drink company founders People educated at St Dominic's College, Penrith 21st-century Australian sportsmen