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Just in case you’d forgotten, Nathan Cleary is still one of the best in the game.
The Penrith playmaker was brilliant as his side trounced Newcastle 42-6 in front of 21,332 fans at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday.
In doing so, the Panthers improved to a 13-1 record and made the strongest start to a premiership defence since the Canberra Raiders of 1995.
Kalyn Ponga lasted just 16 minutes before succumbing to a head knock, but the reality is Newcastle would have struggled to find answers to Penrith’s onslaught even with their mercurial fullback.
Cleary scored a try, nailed a 40-20 which looked closer to a 30-5, and was close to perfect from the tee to fire a timely reminder to his critics - and there were plenty following his below-par performance in Wednesday’s State of Origin series opener.
The Panthers did it all without Ivan Cleary in the box, after he was forced to miss the game on medical advice.
Nathan Cleary was brilliant in Penrith’s win over the Knights.Credit:Getty Images
He has now missed three of Penrith’s games this season after a knee infection forced the Panthers coach to go under the knife last month.
His absence gave the NRL’s most wanted man another chance in the hot seat. Cameron Ciraldo is the name on everybody’s lips as the Wests Tigers, Canterbury Bulldogs and New Zealand Warriors hunt for a new coach.
Penrith had opted to give lock Isaah Yeo a spell following Wednesday night’s State of Origin opener, but the ladder leaders still had five NSW representatives on show.
Halfback Cleary returned to clubland with a point to prove. So while Jarome Luai, Liam Martin, Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o were all back in Penrith colours, all eyes were glued to the Penrith No. 7.
Of course it was Cleary who scored first, linking up with Luai who looked as though he could have stepped Newcastle’s defenders in a phone box.
Ponga and centre Dane Gagai backed up for the Knights after featuring in Queensland’s game one triumph. The former had one of his finest outings of the year for the Maroons and he needed to back it up if the Knights were to have any chance of reversing a dismal home record.
But the 24-year-old was brought off for a head injury assessment after being bumped off by Penrith back-rower Viliame Kikau in a moment that will have sent a scare through Queensland camp.
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It was much the same story for the rest of the half as Penrith ran amok to take a 26-0 lead into the break.
The gulf in class was clear. The reigning premiers are brimming with representative stars. The Knights are without Daniel Saifiti, Bradman Best, and Jayden Brailey.
Newcastle coach Adam O’Brien had to find a way to get his side up for the second half after an opening stanza in which they weren’t playing all that poorly, but were simply outclassed.
But Newcastle’s fuel tanks were empty midway through the second half. Penrith were scoring off Kikau grubbers and flick passes were finding the mark.
Newcastle were out of answers beyond Edrick Lee’s late runaway try. The Knights have conceded 197 points in their past five games at home, a venue that was once a fortress.
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