O\u2019Brien said Cleary was \u201cright up there\u201d with the great players he has seen.<\/p>\n
And O\u2019Brien has seen his fair share, having worked with the likes of Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cameron Munster, Cooper Cronk, Boyd Cordner and James Tedesco during his years as an assistant coach at Melbourne and the Sydney Roosters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate just singling [anyone] out,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cThere\u2019s been so many good players, but I\u2019ve never had the luxury of having anything to do with Nathan. I\u2019ve never met him, but I\u2019ve admired him from afar.\u201d<\/p>\n
Admiring him is one matter, but stopping him \u2013 or at least minimising his impact \u2013 is another altogether.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the main thing for us is making sure that we\u2019re not giving any blips in our defensive line,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re very, very good at finding whether you\u2019ve got a step-back defender, where your line\u2019s not completely connected. They look for that easy path through your defensive line to build their set.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he [Cleary] is a big director of that. He\u2019ll pull out of shape if there\u2019s a space pocket to be taken. So it\u2019s really important that we work hard defensively and stay connected together, because he\u2019ll find you out really quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, O\u2019Brien and his men have done their homework this week, poring over video footage in a quest to counter whatever the game\u2019s No.1 player throws at them on Friday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pretty consistent with how we preview the opposition,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cBut it\u2019s fair to say that a large portion of the week has been on Nathan, particularly his kicking game as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s also understanding that we need to be able to expect the stuff that we haven\u2019t seen, because he\u2019s a very instinctive player.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien, who joined Newcastle in 2020, has come up against Cleary only four times as a head coach, and at this point he has a 0-4 record.<\/p>\n
But the coach hopes his troops take some confidence from their 25-6 win over Penrith in Bathurst in round 12, albeit when the Panthers were depleted by the absence of Cleary and fellow NSW Origin representatives Isaah Yeo, Liam Martin, Dylan Edwards and Brian To\u2019o.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the last time they lost a game, Penrith,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cI know there\u2019s a lot that\u2019s happened between that game and now, but yeah, it certainly gives you some confidence. But confidence is one thing \u2013 going and making it happen is another.\u201d<\/p>\n
That loss to Newcastle left the four-time premiers last on the ladder, at which point it appeared their dynasty was grinding to a halt.<\/p>\n
They have since strung together an eight-game winning streak, and they will climb into the top four if they beat 14th-placed Newcastle, and then Canterbury down the Warriors at Accor Stadium on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re trending in the right direction,\u201d O\u2019Brien said of the Panthers. \u201cThey\u2019re quality opposition and it\u2019s quite remarkable what they\u2019ve been able to achieve over the years. But we\u2019ve always managed to aim up against Penrith, and we\u2019re hoping tomorrow is that again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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While former Parramatta tyro Blaize Talagi has now established himself as Cleary\u2019s scrumbase partner, O\u2019Brien has again tinkered with his halves, promoting ex-Eels and Manly five-eighth Jakob Arthur<\/a> to make his Newcastle debut.<\/p>\n Arthur parted company with Manly mid-season and has been biding his time in Newcastle\u2019s NSW Cup team.<\/p>\n Asked why the 22-year-old had been preferred to the likes of Tyson Gamble and Jackson Hastings, O\u2019Brien replied: \u201cThe number one [reason] is his kicking game. He\u2019s very, very consistent with his kicking.<\/p>\n \u201cI think since Jake\u2019s come to the club, he\u2019s put together three or four really strong performances in NSW Cup. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m just blooding a young guy, I\u2019m rewarding a young bloke that\u2019s played really good footy.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I felt that our kicking was an area that we needed to improve from the Raiders game [a 44-18 defeat], so I think the time\u2019s right to bring him in.\u201d<\/p>\n