Latest news with #NathanCleary
The Age
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Lions for leaguies: My guide to the greatest rugby show on turf
The whole thing was such a success they came back in 1899 and – bar world wars and various global cataclysms – have toured every four years since, across South Africa, New Zealand and Oz. So, in the modern incarnation, they come here every 12 years. They narrowly beat us in 1989, we belted them in 2001, and the mongrels just beat us in 2013. Where are the players drawn from? Pretty much what it says on the can. They come from Great Britain – as in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – plus Ireland itself. It's a little like your Rugby League World Cup, but with a difference. Instead of players being drawn from pretend national comps that don't actually exist, and everyone going along with the sham, they really are the best players from fierce competitions that funnel into actual national teams, and these are the genuine superstar players from those Test sides. Just how many people care about the result, and will be watching? More even than watch an Origin series. Yes, that big! Actually, it's sort of like those matches you play in Las Vegas in March, except that, instead of it drawing an Australian audience of a couple of million, plus 55,000 Americans, this will draw a genuinely global audience from across the planet in the 133 countries where rugby is played. The last one to these shores pulled in about 100 million. (No, no, an actual 100 million. Not the 100 million some professional proselytisers were claiming would watch the Las Vegas stuff.) What can we expect to see? Seriously wonderful football. Think of it like a Test series between Great Britain and the Kangaroos. Except that, instead of it being fairly forgettable, with the result usually pre-ordained, in this series no-one knows who is going to win and, to judge by the most recent tours, the result will likely be in the balance right up until the last minutes of the final Test and will be talked about for decades to come. Who are the best players? On our side, you will at least know Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, yes? He served his senior football apprenticeship with the Roosters before graduating to the Wallabies when he decided he wanted to go global and play on an actual world stage. Loading On their side, look to Finn Russell, the 32-year-old five-eighth from Scotland. He's a maestro of the art – real art – a one-stop shop complete package of no-look passes, scintillating sidesteps, precise crossfield kicks that could knock the cigarette out of a seagull's mouth at 42 metres, and devastating runarounds that leave defences scrambling. He's sort of like your Nathan Cleary, 'cept that ... no, as you were. He's sort of like your Nathan Cleary. And that is why rugby is looking at Nathan, come to think of it. (If Nathan wants to play in Paris, London, Buenos Aires, Jo'burg, Dublin, Rome and Cardiff – instead of Parramatta, Wigan and Las Vegas, tell him to call us.)
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Lions for leaguies: My guide to the greatest rugby show on turf
The whole thing was such a success they came back in 1899 and – bar world wars and various global cataclysms – have toured every four years since, across South Africa, New Zealand and Oz. So, in the modern incarnation, they come here every 12 years. They narrowly beat us in 1989, we belted them in 2001, and the mongrels just beat us in 2013. Where are the players drawn from? Pretty much what it says on the can. They come from Great Britain – as in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – plus Ireland itself. It's a little like your Rugby League World Cup, but with a difference. Instead of players being drawn from pretend national comps that don't actually exist, and everyone going along with the sham, they really are the best players from fierce competitions that funnel into actual national teams, and these are the genuine superstar players from those Test sides. Just how many people care about the result, and will be watching? More even than watch an Origin series. Yes, that big! Actually, it's sort of like those matches you play in Las Vegas in March, except that, instead of it drawing an Australian audience of a couple of million, plus 55,000 Americans, this will draw a genuinely global audience from across the planet in the 133 countries where rugby is played. The last one to these shores pulled in about 100 million. (No, no, an actual 100 million. Not the 100 million some professional proselytisers were claiming would watch the Las Vegas stuff.) What can we expect to see? Seriously wonderful football. Think of it like a Test series between Great Britain and the Kangaroos. Except that, instead of it being fairly forgettable, with the result usually pre-ordained, in this series no-one knows who is going to win and, to judge by the most recent tours, the result will likely be in the balance right up until the last minutes of the final Test and will be talked about for decades to come. Who are the best players? On our side, you will at least know Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, yes? He served his senior football apprenticeship with the Roosters before graduating to the Wallabies when he decided he wanted to go global and play on an actual world stage. Loading On their side, look to Finn Russell, the 32-year-old five-eighth from Scotland. He's a maestro of the art – real art – a one-stop shop complete package of no-look passes, scintillating sidesteps, precise crossfield kicks that could knock the cigarette out of a seagull's mouth at 42 metres, and devastating runarounds that leave defences scrambling. He's sort of like your Nathan Cleary, 'cept that ... no, as you were. He's sort of like your Nathan Cleary. And that is why rugby is looking at Nathan, come to think of it. (If Nathan wants to play in Paris, London, Buenos Aires, Jo'burg, Dublin, Rome and Cardiff – instead of Parramatta, Wigan and Las Vegas, tell him to call us.)
The Age
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Battered Blues in Blue Mountains
Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Payne Haas are among the injured or ill NSW players taking things easy ahead of the State of Origin decider.
Sydney Morning Herald
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Battered Blues in Blue Mountains
Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai and Payne Haas are among the injured or ill NSW players taking things easy ahead of the State of Origin decider.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Nathan Cleary makes a worrying confession as he gets ready for Origin game three
New South Wales star Nathan Cleary has worryingly revealed that he hasn't kicked a goal since he tweaked his groin in the run-up to State of Origin II. The Penrith halfback handed over kicking duties for the match to Zac Lomax, who struggled off the tee, booting two of his five attempts at goal. Laurie Daly's side would ultimately succumb to a 26-24 defeat by Queensland. Cleary, meanwhile, raised alarm bells as he ran out to play with a support grip on his right thigh during the match. While he missed the Panther's Round 16 clash against the Warriors, Cleary returned to run the show against his side's 8-6 win against Canterbury, but was still seen wearing the support grip. When asked whether he would return to kick for the Blues next week in Sydney, Cleary admitted he was weary of aggravating the injury again, but did also leave the door open for a potential return. 'It's a call we are probably going to make pretty early in the week,' Cleary said on Tuesday. 'Since it happened I haven't had a goal kick yet. 'You don't want to try it and then get another setback. 'We will see.' Cleary was instrumental in Penrith's victory against Canterbury last Thursday, scoring the Panthers' only try of the match. However, he had handed over kicking duties to fullback Dylan Edwards for the game, who slotted the conversion off the back of Cleary's try and a penalty too. Lomax, meanwhile, returned to feature in both of the Eels Round 16 and 17 matches against the Titans and the Dragons. The centre, 25, was gutted after State of Origin II and refused to speak to the media after missing three shots at goal. But the Parramatta star is looking to turn things around for State of Origin III, with Lomax booting eight goals across his last two NRL appearances. 'I pride myself on being the best kicker I can be,' he told 9News. 'Sometimes you live or die by the sword when you goal kick, and you wear that heavy. 'I was disappointed. I'm a goal kicker and I love goal kicking, so nothing will change.'
