Nathan Cleary has shelved five years of Origin duels with Cameron Munster and Daly Cherry-Evans as he picks the playmaking brains of Queensland’s halves in his bid to secure the Kangaroos’ halfback role.
Coach Mal Meninga has already hailed Cleary as a long-term Australian half in waiting as the two-time Penrith premiership winner prepares for his Test debut against Scotland in Coventry on Friday (Saturday AEDT).
The scrum base is Australia’s most contentious selection call, with NSW Blues star Cleary getting the chance to press his case alongside Munster after Cherry-Evans had first crack against Fiji.
As Meninga rotates his side through the pool games, there is every chance Cleary and Cherry-Evans will pair together against Italy next week.
Before his first outing in green and gold, Cleary said the usual rivalry between the Origin halves had been replaced by “footy chat” and powwows on the intricacies of halfback play.
“It’s healthy competition, obviously Chez [Cherry-Evans] is a great player but he’s a great bloke too,” Cleary said.
Origin foes Nathan Cleary and Daly Cherry-Evans.Credit:NRL Photos
“I’ve really enjoyed my time in camp with him. We both love our footy, he’s been really cool to be around and, obviously, he’s a bit of an older head and has a lot of experience, so I’m trying to learn off him.
“I have massive respect for him, particularly playing against him in Origin – he’s a great player.”
Meanwhile, Munster has stood opposite Cleary on Queensland and Melbourne’s left edge throughout some storied interstate and club battles since the Panthers star’s 2018 Origin debut, including the NRL grand final two years later.
A similar off-the-cuff playing style to Cleary’s regular clubmate Jarome Luai has the Penrith star predicting a quality combination from the outset, even if Munster “is a bit of a grub”.
Nathan and Ivan Cleary celebrate another grand final win earlier this month.Credit:Getty
“Sometimes I’m in awe of what he can do on the footy field,” Cleary said of the Storm star. “I’ve been able to try and team up with him, and unlocking that ability is something I look forward to.
“I think we’re pretty competitive, so it just naturally comes on the field, that’s what makes it cooler. We have a mutual respect for each other that we’re both gonna compete and play hard.
“I think the way we both sort of play could gel quite well. Off the field, we get along pretty well, too. So we’ve had some good times and we must now go and try to create good times on the field.”
Cleary puts little stock in the fuss over the player numbering system that means Munster will wear the No.7 based on seniority, with his own debut to come in No.14.
A New Zealand passport, thanks to father Ivan’s coaching stint at the Warriors, had briefly raised suggestions of pledging allegiance to the Kiwis during his teens, but Cleary said “there was never any doubt in my mind [that] I was Aussie”.
If anything, those formative years as the lone green and gold supporter during trans-Tasman Tests spurred Cleary’s Australian aspirations.
“It’d be pretty funny at school, we’d know that a game was on that night and there’d be all the Kiwi supporters and I was the lone Aussie,” he said.
“There’d be a bit of banter and that’s what made it even more special. It really drove that passion and pride in the Australia jersey and that I wanted to get there one day.”
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