![\"Lachie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758410353_961_2235a693c89c37950ea78e983c233074de83784d.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nThat level of expectation and scrutiny wasn\u2019t helped by Canterbury general manager Phil Gould declaring on a podcast: \u201cI think he\u2019s the best teenage footballer I\u2019ve ever seen. I think what he is doing is absolutely extraordinary \u2026 in the future, whoever has Lachlan Galvin in their side will be winning premierships.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lachie Galvin arrives for training on Monday. The young halfback has been under intense scrutiny since his arrival at Belmore.Credit: Kate Geraghty<\/p>\n
Cleary will play a key role in trying to end Galvin and Canterbury\u2019s premiership dream on Sunday. But when you sit down with Cleary this week, armed with his journal covered in the Panthers\u2019 black, yellow and red colours, there is clearly a degree of sympathy for his young rival.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201csomeone who helped shape me to be the player I am today\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you need to go through all this to develop that thick skin,\u201d Cleary says of the fierce attention on Galvin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings changed for me when I started to play Origin. The expectations of you and your performance go up.<\/p>\n
![\"Young](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/01bcea8d4a466025f0829aed94dfb76548e21842.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Young talent time: A 20-year-old Nathan Cleary takes on the Warriors in 2018.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cLachie has had to deal with that since he\u2019s come to the Dogs \u2013 he\u2019s come to a team that has a chance of winning a comp, and there\u2019s pressure that comes with that. There\u2019s pressure that comes with being the halfback.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut this is good to learn at such a young age because it only helps your development as you get older.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not easy at the time, but it\u2019s an important thing to go through. I know it definitely helped my development.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou understand it [the outside noise] will be there, it\u2019s how you deal with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know \u2018Ciro\u2019 [Ciraldo] will be good at helping him and protecting him in that regard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt [the commentary] is over the top sometimes, particularly the pressure on young kids and young halves. You can\u2019t change it. It\u2019s how you deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLachie is into a semi-final. He\u2019s always in the game, he\u2019s always got his hands on the ball right to the end of the game, and I admire that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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?<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0acd1f680a747143cb05e8831502d732c258f5ae.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
A young Nathan Cleary and interum coach Cameron Ciraldo reflect on a remarkable win on the Gold Coast in 2018.Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
![\"Nathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/5d01c10bf4d4320851465bdeabe6c6bdf7bc19da.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Nathan Cleary is looking to get his hands on the NRL trophy again in October, for the fifth straight year.Credit: Steven Siewert<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Coach Cleary says his son\u2019s relentless drive for perfection is a key part of their success.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s doing most things pretty well,\u201d Ivan says. \u201cHe\u2019s always looking to get better, which is the main thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s never satisfied with what he\u2019s done. I think there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cBig games need big-game players, and big-game players make big plays, and it\u2019s crucial for any team. If you want to win at this time of year, your best players need to be playing well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Loading<\/p>\n
\u201cThe little old me is still like, \u2018Oh man, that\u2019s Nathan Cleary\u2019. And that\u2019s kind of cool,\u201d McLean says. \u201cHis leadership, he will never ask you to do something he wouldn\u2019t do himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n