Nathan Cleary put a difficult week behind him in emphatic fashion, leading the Penrith Panthers to a 42-6 thrashing of the Newcastle Knights on Sunday. The star halfback scored a try, set up another, and converted six of seven tries, adding a field goal in a stunning individual performance.
Cleary was uncharacteristically off-colour in New South Wales' State of Origin opener loss to Queensland on Wednesday, accepting blame for the 16-10 defeat. However, any concerns about lingering effects were swiftly quashed as he crossed after four minutes to open the scoring. Former Blues star Braith Anasta said Cleary 'hit back like all champions do'.
New South Wales coach Brad Fittler expressed surprise at the criticism directed at Cleary, telling the Sydney Morning Herald: 'The attention that he gets still shocks me. I want to say we let him down on the night – not the other way around.' Cleary acknowledged the support, saying: 'It's hard not to feel supported when you know you have a coach who will stick by you.'
Cleary was not the only Blues star to shine. Jerome Luai finished with two try assists, a linebreak, and three tackle busts, while Brian To'o racked up three linebreaks, nine tackle busts, and 227 metres from 23 runs. Stephen Crichton also contributed a try, an assist, and 166 running metres.
The win consolidates Penrith's first place on the NRL ladder with their 13th victory in 14 games this season. Newcastle remained 13th after their ninth loss in 13 outings, compounded by losing captain Kalyn Ponga to a head knock early in the game after he failed an HIA.
