Nathan Cleary is celebrating after his father, Ivan, skillfully represented him at the NRL judiciary, resulting in his clearance to play in the Panthers' season opener.
The father-son team has already secured four premiership titles, and now they can proudly add a legal victory to their achievements after successfully contesting Nathan's grade-two careless high tackle charge on Monday night.
Facing a potential two-match suspension for a high tackle on Wests Tigers' rookie Heamasi Makasini, Cleary anticipated an even longer absence from the field if he contested the charge.
During a trial match, the halfback made the hit as Makasini struggled to catch the ball.
In a surprising turn, Ivan Cleary shifted from his coaching role to take on a legal counsel position, presenting arguments to the panel that his son deserved a lesser penalty.
The panel, impressed by Ivan's defense, deliberated for only 12 minutes before declaring Nathan free to compete against Brisbane in the season's opening match.
"I definitely thank him because it's a big effort," Nathan remarked about his father's help.
"I'm disappointed I had to put him through that little extra work that he had to do outside his normal job, but I'm grateful for his effort.
"I had no say in the matter [him representing me] but he was pretty confident.