His shoulder may need surgery but Nathan Cleary was feeling no pain as he collected the Clive Churchill Medal after Penrith outclassed South Sydney 14-12 in the NRL grand final.
Back in July, the playmaker’s season looked in tatters as he suffered a shoulder injury while steering NSW to a State of Origin game two win that sealed a series win at Suncorp Stadium.
Three months later Cleary raised the premiership trophy at the same venue on Sunday night, capping a remarkable tale of resilience.
Clearly hardly missed a beat after his club’s medical staff saved his season by opting for rehabilitation rather than immediate surgery.
He was in the thick of it in the grand final, orchestrating the Panthers with a calm head and sublime kicking game, forcing four line dropouts to keep the blowtorch on the Rabbitohs.
While off-season surgery almost certainly awaits, Cleary only had one thing on his mind after Penrith overcame last year’s grand final loss to Melbourne with their first title in 18 years.
“I can’t wait to party when we get back. We did it. We climbed Everest,” a jubilant Cleary said.
“We had the hurt of last year, we came back and did it the hard way.
“We lost the first final and we got written off and kept turning up for each other.
“This is what we spoke about when we came together and we had the heartbreak of last year.”
Cleary’s night only got better when his Clive Churchill Medal for man of the match was presented by his father and coach Ivan Cleary.
The Clearys entered a special club in Panthers history after coach John Lang and his son, prop Martin shared premiership glory the last time the club triumphed back in 2003.
Ivan Cleary claimed the premiership in his 370th game as a coach, becoming the only man to win a title for the first time after their 250th game.
Nathan Cleary said it was an emotional moment sharing the win with his father but added the whole team felt like family.
“It makes it special every time we pull on the Panthers jersey. We do it with pride,” he said.
“We are not just playing for us, it is the whole community and alongside my brothers.
“We have grown up together. We are like a big family.”
AAP
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