Nathan Cleary insists Penrith are a different side to the one that was held to nil by Melbourne earlier this year, as the NRL dreams of a long-awaited blockbuster that lives up to the billing between the sides.
Thursday night’s clash between the giants looms as the NRL’s perfect launch towards the finals, with the winner to walk away in top spot.
The Panthers and Storm have been the clear two best sides of the competition for the past five years, sharing every minor premiership and premiership since 2020.
But rarely have their head-to-head contests delivered.
Penrith have won seven of the 11 matches between the teams this decade, with only three of the 11 games decided by one try or less.
The early-season 2021 fixture stands out as the best between the teams, when Viliame Kikau got off the ground to pull off a last-minute try-saver in Penrith’s win.
Since then, the majority of clashes have been lopsided.
Penrith have beaten the Storm 38-4 and 32-6 in recent years, while Melbourne’s 8-0 victory over the Panthers at the start of the year was the second time they had kept them scoreless since 2022.
“It’s never good when you get held to a donut,” Cleary said.
“It was a pretty ugly game (in round one).
“They’re a great side, they scramble really hard and they play some great footy. We’re going to have to be better than that night.”
Cleary is, however, insistent Penrith are a different side now to the team beaten in the season opener.
They will be without Liam Martin (suspension) and Scott Sorensen (hamstring) for Thursday night’s clash, but welcome Dylan Edwards (knee) and James Fisher-Harris (groin) back from recent injuries.
“We’ve come a long way since then and for whatever reason we haven’t started the year well the past couple of years,” Cleary said.
“There is a lot of footy between then and now, and we still want to be building and be better each week.”
One big difference is in the football Cleary himself is playing.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy joked on Wednesday the only way to stop him at the moment was with a shotgun, given the No.7’s elite form.
Since returning from a hamstring injury last month, Cleary has kicked a golden-point field goal against the Dolphins, racked up 26 points on his own against St George Illawarra, scored late to beat Newcastle and engineered a come-from-behind win over Parramatta.
The performances have come after a lengthy stint in the coach’s box alongside his father Ivan, seemingly making him an even more dangerous player.
“You’d like to think he is going to improve each year, just through understanding of the game,” Ivan Cleary said.
“The game slows down a bit for playmakers, which is definitely happening for him over the past few years.
“Just experience, and just the way he has looked after himself and hit the ground running after such a long time out (shows).
“It has allowed him to just perform very well for us over the past few weeks. Hopefully there is more to come.”
RECENT PENRITH-MELBOURNE CLASHES:
2024: Melbourne 8-0
2023: Penrith 34-16, Penrith 26-6, Penrith 38-4
2022: Penrith 32-6, Melbourne 16-0
2021: Penrith 12-10, Melbourne 37-10, Penrith 10-6
2020: Penrith 21-14, Melbourne 26-20
