That level of expectation and scrutiny wasn’t helped by Canterbury general manager Phil Gould declaring on a podcast: “I think he’s the best teenage footballer I’ve ever seen. I think what he is doing is absolutely extraordinary … in the future, whoever has Lachlan Galvin in their side will be winning premierships.”
It also would not have helped when the Tigers were prepared to throw more than $1 million a season at him so early into his rugby league journey.
Lachie Galvin arrives for training on Monday. The young halfback has been under intense scrutiny since his arrival at Belmore.Credit: Kate Geraghty
Cleary will play a key role in trying to end Galvin and Canterbury’s premiership dream on Sunday. But when you sit down with Cleary this week, armed with his journal covered in the Panthers’ black, yellow and red colours, there is clearly a degree of sympathy for his young rival.
Cleary, now 27, and a player many regard as a future Immortal, says being exposed to so much pressure at a young age will be a blessing in the years to come.
And he is also glad Galvin has Cameron Ciraldo in his corner, the Bulldogs coach who spent so much time working with Cleary at Penrith, and a man the halfback still refers to as “someone who helped shape me to be the player I am today”.
“Sometimes you need to go through all this to develop that thick skin,” Cleary says of the fierce attention on Galvin.
“Things changed for me when I started to play Origin. The expectations of you and your performance go up.
Young talent time: A 20-year-old Nathan Cleary takes on the Warriors in 2018.Credit: Getty Images
“Lachie has had to deal with that since he’s come to the Dogs – he’s come to a team that has a chance of winning a comp, and there’s pressure that comes with that. There’s pressure that comes with being the halfback.
“But this is good to learn at such a young age because it only helps your development as you get older.
“It’s not easy at the time, but it’s an important thing to go through. I know it definitely helped my development.
“You understand it [the outside noise] will be there, it’s how you deal with it.
“I know ‘Ciro’ [Ciraldo] will be good at helping him and protecting him in that regard.
“It [the commentary] is over the top sometimes, particularly the pressure on young kids and young halves. You can’t change it. It’s how you deal with it.”
“Lachie is into a semi-final. He’s always in the game, he’s always got his hands on the ball right to the end of the game, and I admire that.”
It seems like only yesterday that a young Ciraldo was called in as caretaker coach at Penrith after Griffin was shown the door in 2018.
In their first game together as coach and star halfback, the Panthers defeated the Titans in golden-point extra time courtesy of a Cleary field goal. Who else?
A young Nathan Cleary and interum coach Cameron Ciraldo reflect on a remarkable win on the Gold Coast in 2018.Credit: Getty Images
The TV footage of the pair sitting next to each other featured Cleary without the moustache or cauliflower ears (they are finally on the mend after one of his ears popped out against the Knights and needed to be drained), while Ciraldo had a few less grey hairs.
Ciraldo has done a brilliant job with the Dogs and their defence this year. But the thought of stopping Cleary when he is in a mood would have caused sleepless nights.
Cleary is unsure what he is doing differently as he and his club enjoy a late-season surge of form in pursuit of a remarkable fifth straight title. He says there is a lot of confidence in the group after clawing their way out of a giant hole midway through the year. The Panthers were last after 12 rounds with only three wins.
Nathan Cleary is looking to get his hands on the NRL trophy again in October, for the fifth straight year.Credit: Steven Siewert
There are still a host of players on the roster that know a thing or two about what is required to win in September, too.
The corked quad, which forced Cleary to relinquish goal-kicking duties late in the game against the Warriors last Saturday, will not be a problem against the Bulldogs, he says.
Coach Cleary says his son’s relentless drive for perfection is a key part of their success.
“He’s doing most things pretty well,” Ivan says. “He’s always looking to get better, which is the main thing.
“He’s never satisfied with what he’s done. I think there’s more in him as well. The more you play, the more you see the game, the more it slows down for you, and you pick the right time to do certain things. That will be critical again this week.
“Big games need big-game players, and big-game players make big plays, and it’s crucial for any team. If you want to win at this time of year, your best players need to be playing well.”
Cleary remains the first player to arrive at training, and the last to leave. Just ask centre Casey McLean, who still pinches himself knowing he is playing with one of his idols.
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“The little old me is still like, ‘Oh man, that’s Nathan Cleary’. And that’s kind of cool,” McLean says. “His leadership, he will never ask you to do something he wouldn’t do himself.”
Cleary has worked overtime to get to where he is. The Panthers are a genuine chance of making it five premierships in a row. The spotlight on Cleary in those early days helped him blossom. And it will eventually prove the best thing to happen to Galvin.
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