Nathan Cleary is a popular Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays halfback for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He is also the club's co-captain. He has represented City Origin and New South Wales in the State of Origin series.
He is widely considered one of the best players in the NRL. After coming through the Panthers' junior development system, he was a member of the Panthers' premiership-winning NYC team in 2015.
Cleary was the best point scorer in the NRL, with 228 points in 2017, and he was the NRL's youngest player to win the title in almost a century. The athlete was also the youngest player in NBA history to score 200 points in a season.
In 2018, he maintained his meteoric ascent by making his Origin debut and assisting NSW to a series victory over Queensland.
Cleary led the side to the 2020 NRL Grand Final, winning his first Merv Cartwright Medal, being named The Players' Champion by the RLPA, and being named to the Dally M Team of the Year.
In a recent 40-6 thrashing of the Warriors, Nathan Cleary ignited Penrith, dashing any hopes of a long-awaited NRL return to New Zealand next month.
Panthers Nathan Cleary Samoan Origin Inherits From His Parents
Nathan Cleary, co-captain of Penrith Panthers in the NRL, is the son of Ivan Cleary and Rebecca Cleary.
He inherits the Samoan origin from his parents as he spent a good part of his childhood in Auckland, New Zealand, where his father was a member of the New Zealand Warriors and later coached them.
Cleary spent two years at Sacred Heart College in Auckland, and after growing up playing soccer, he converted to rugby league in his pre-teens, playing for the Mount Albert Lions in Auckland and the Penrith Brothers in Sydney.
Nathan's father, Ivan Cleary, is an Australian professional rugby league coach and former fullback and center who played in the 1990s and 2000s for the Penrith Panthers in the NRL.
He is a former head coach of the Wests Tigers and the New Zealand Warriors, as well as the current head coach of the Penrith Panthers, who guided the Panthers to the National Rugby League's premiership in 2021.
Ivan was a goal-kicking fullback who played club football in Australia and New Zealand. During the 1998 NRL Premiership, he set a new record for most points scored in a season.
Nathan Cleary Mother, Father, And Siblings Are Proud Of Their Ethnic Roots
All of Penrith Panthers superstar halfback Nathan Cleary's family members, including Nathan's mother, Rebecca, and father, Ivan, are proud of their ethnic roots. Nathan was born on 14 November 1997 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Although Nathan is Australian, he is of Croatian descent. Nathan has three siblings: Milaya Cleary, Indi Cleary, and Jett Cleary. His younger siblings appear to be in their twenties, possibly a few years younger than him.
Jett Cleary and Milaya Cleary were born in New Zealand. Jett is a junior rugby player for the Perth Panthers. Nathan, on the other hand, was born in Australia. Because of his father's rugby profession, his family later relocated to New Zealand. Indi Cleary is his younger sister.
Nathan is the nephew of former Australian professional rugby league footballers Josh Stuart and Jason Death. He previously held a New Zealand passport.
Before his parents interfered, the Panthers star revealed he pondered making himself eligible for New Zealand. Not only could he have been performing the haka, but Cleary, who grew up largely playing football until the age of 15, could have been lost to rugby league.
In Auckland, he played for several representative teams and grew to admire Ronaldo throughout his time at Manchester United.
"I began playing soccer when I was four years old. At that age, you don't get to make many decisions, and my father played until he was 18, so I didn't have much of a choice, "he stated.
How Many NRL Titles Has Nathan Cleary Won?
With the Penrith Panthers, Nathan Cleary has one National Rugby League title under his belt. The Panthers defeated South Sydney at the 2021 NRL Grand Final. Nathan was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for being the man of the match.
His rugby league accomplishments include a premiership with Penrith, back-to-back halfback of the year honors, and now three State of Origin series victories.
According to experts and statistics, Nathan Cleary has had one of the best beginnings of a career ever seen. He is regarded as one of the game's all-time great halfbacks.
Cleary's mental tenacity and ability to execute his kicking game in a pressure cooker of a grand final with a busted shoulder at such a young age will propel him to become one of the all-time greats, according to Cooper Cronk, a former Australian professional rugby league footballer.
Ivan And Nathan Cleary Contract Extension
Nathan Cleary admits he never contemplated testing his value on the open market after signing massive extensions at Penrith until the end of 2027.
In April, the Panthers announced the new contracts, with coach Ivan signing a four-year extension and halfback Nathan receiving a three-year extension.
Negotiations with the pair took less than a month, according to Penrith CEO Brian Fletcher, who admitted that both could have made more money elsewhere.
On the other hand, Nathan said that was never a possibility for him because he was already signed until 2024 and content to ensure his future on a long-term deal for roughly $1 million per year.
"It wasn't anything I thought about at all," Nathan remarked. "It wasn't a difficult decision for me to make... I consider myself extremely fortunate to be a member of this group. I couldn't imagine myself in any other situation.
"For me, it's unmistakably home. I'm getting paid to do what I enjoy. As a kid, all I wanted to do was play NRL, and Penrith allowed me to do so."
Meanwhile, Nathan is on pace to break club scoring records, and football CEO Matt Cameron believes he has the potential to become the Panthers' best-ever player.
