LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
A missed opportunity from Nathan Cleary has raised concerns regarding the halfback's defensive performance as the finals approach, igniting discussions about James Tedesco potentially replacing Dylan Edwards in the Kangaroos squad following a series of mistakes. Cleary has consistently demonstrated his clutch ability in the NRL, highlighted by his recent two-point field goal against the Titans four weeks ago.
Furthermore, he came remarkably close to securing another close game for the Penrith Panthers against the Raiders, with his field goal attempt in golden point striking the post. Unfortunately, a significant lapse from Liam Martin during play enabled Kaeo Weekes to secure a game-winning try for the Canberra Raiders.
Observers noted a troubling defensive lapse from Cleary during the same action. With just two minutes remaining in golden point, his field goal attempt rebounded off the post into the hands of Jed Stuart.
Stuart managed to offload to Raiders' playmaker Ethan Strange, who then showcased his signature style of evading defenders to break through the line-one of the defenders being Cleary, who had moved up to join the action after his kick.
Strange later baited Edwards and raced downfield, ultimately passing back to Weekes, who scored the victorious try for the Raiders.
Cleary's struggles were evident throughout the night, with Strange managing to evade him repeatedly. The fallout from his missed field goal proved almost as detrimental as Martin's hesitation on Stuart.
By the end of the match, Cleary recorded seven missed tackles out of 27 completed, according to NRL statistics. This worrisome tally isn't unprecedented, as he has missed a total of 28 tackles over his last five games. To contextualize, before round 21 against the Tigers, Cleary had only missed four tackles in a single game on two different occasions.