There would have been a tinge of sadness in the Cleary family as Nathan led Penrith into the NRL preliminary final.
Jett Cleary‘s hard-luck story for the NSW Cup grand final has been confirmed after he lost his role as the Warriors’ starting halfback in reserve-grade last weekend. The younger brother of Panthers star Nathan Cleary, Jett has stepped up a level in recent months and performed brilliantly for the Warriors.
The 20-year-old started the season in Jersey Flegg (Under-21), but was forced to step up to NSW Cup when Luke Metcalf did his ACL and was ruled out for the year. Metcalf’s injury meant Tanah Boyd was promoted from NSW Cup to NRL level, which in turn saw Cleary move up from Jersey Flegg.
In his first full season of professional football, Jett has shown he’s got plenty of potential and a long career ahead. Since being promoted to NSW Cup in Round 17, the Warriors have won 8 of 11 games with one draw to march into the reserve-grade grand final.
But Cleary was demoted to the bench last Saturday as the Warriors thrashed Parramatta 42-14 to advance to the grand final. Because the Warriors have been eliminated from the NRL finals, a host of players have dropped back down to NSW Cup.
Boyd started at halfback against the Eels, scoring a try and laying on a number of others. He also took over the goal-kicking duties from Cleary, while Luke Hanson was preferred at five-eighth. Cleary only got six minutes off the bench at the end of the game, and has again been picked on the interchange for the NSW Cup grand final against the Dragons on Sunday.
The Warriors will battle the Dragons at 3.15pm at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, just 50 minutes before Nathan Cleary leads the Panthers against the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in the NRL preliminary final. Nathan was superb on Sunday as the Panthers thrashed the Bulldogs to end their season.
Sad twist for Cleary family amid Nathan’s heroics for Panthers
However there will be a tinge of sadness in the family as grand final heartbreak looms for Jett. Father Ivan might be keeping one eye on the NSW Cup grand final while his Panthers side takes on the Broncos for a spot in the NRL grand final.
Speaking earlier this month, Nathan said of his little brother: “I am actually pumped for him that he has got an opportunity to be around first-graders over there.” Injured Warriors captain Mitch Barnett said: “He is really good, he is great for the group, he is a young fellow learning his trade and doing really well at it.
“He has got the work ethic of Nathan and family ties to the club, so it is great to have him at the Warriors. He is a great kid, and I am looking forward to seeing how he goes in the future.”
Jett left the Panthers to try and forge his own career at the Warriors, signing a three-year deal last year. The 20-year-old was actually born in Auckland when Ivan was the Warriors head coach, and spent the first seven years of his life in New Zealand.
In a cruel twist, Nathan is actually part of the reason Jett has lost his starting spot in NSW Cup. It was the Panthers who ended the Warriors’ season at NRL level, which resulted in Boyd moving back down.