Sublime Nathan Cleary lifts Penrith Panthers off bottom with Brisbane Broncos thumping

PENRITH PANTHERS 32 BRISBANE BRONCOS 8
TOM SMITH, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Sunday

NATHAN CLEARY treated a greasy Suncorp Stadium to a ten-out-of-ten performance as the Panthers breathed life into their season by thumping the Broncos.

Entering Magic Round in the unfamiliar position of dead last on the ladder, the four-time reigning champs flexed their muscles on the Broncos’ home ground.

And Cleary was central to everything Penrith did well, scoring a try and playing a hand in all four others.

Winger Thomas Jenkins also bagged a brace.

Penrith boast a superb record against Brisbane, winning eight of the last nine – including the 2023 Grand Final, when they reeled in a 16-point deficit in the final 18 minutes.

Cleary haunted Broncos fans with a carbon copy of his match-winning score in the decider two years ago, drifting towards the left corner, stepping off his left foot, then jinking through the goal-line defence virtually untouched.

Having entered 2025 with high hopes, both sides have struggled for consistency so far this year.

The Broncos have only shown flashes of their brilliant best — including a white-hot 34-0 first half to end the Bulldogs’ unbeaten start to the year last week — while the Panthers have struggled to capture the sort of form that’s lifted them to the past four titles, dropping six of their seven matches heading into this Magic Round showpiece.

But this result – and Cleary’s unstoppable form – reminds the entire competition of what the Panthers are capable of.

Ben Hunt leapt through a web of pink jumpers to take a probing Adam Reynolds bomb and collect the first points in the ninth minute, and that was pretty much where the joy ended for Broncos fans.

Cleary quickly got the Panthers on the board with a crafty chip kick to Izack Tago from close range.

Then a late Patrick Carrigan shot on the Penrith captain gave Cleary the chance to add two more points.

The four-time reigning champions sustained a long period of defensive pressure that left Brisbane with just one Adam Reynolds penalty-goal to show for it, following an illegal Liam Henry ball strip.

And in the 20 minutes either side of the break, the Panthers proved they’re still a force to be reckoned with in 2025.

Seconds after a Cleary 40/20, late call-up Luron Patea grabbed his first NRL try, wriggling his way over the whitewash despite three Broncos defenders hanging off him.

Then in the shadow of the half-time hooter, the game’s premier playmaker produced that replica of his title-winning try two years earlier.

Emerging from the sheds up by twelve, Penrith weren’t done yet.

Some slick hands down the left flank – originating with who else but Cleary – set up Jenkins’ first.

Nine minutes later, an almost identical sequence gave the lanky winger a look at his second. This time Jenkins had much more work to do, but acrobatically surged past a diving Kotoni Staggs to find the corner.

Cleary’s sixth goal – this one from the sideline – finalised the scoreline with more than a quarter of the game remaining, and placed an exclamation mark on his five-star display.

GAMESTAR: Nathan Cleary had his fingerprints all over his team’s five tries in a signature display by the NRL’s best player.

GAMEBREAKER: Thomas Jenkins’ second try in the left corner finished Penrith’s statement performance.

MATCHFACTS
PANTHERS
1 Dylan Edwards
2 Paul Alamoti
3 Izack Tago
4 Luke Garner
5 Thomas Jenkins
6 Blaize Talagi
7 Nathan Cleary
8 Moses Leota
14 Trent Toelau
16 Lindsay Smith
12 Liam Martin
15 Isaiah Papali’i
13 Isaah Yeo
Subs (all used)
9 Luke Sommerton
10 Liam Henry
17 Mavrik Geyer
19 Luron Patea

Tries: Tago (14), Patea (37), Cleary (40), Jenkins (45, 54)
Goals: Cleary 6/6

BRONCOS
1 Selwyn Cobbo
2 Deine Mariner
3 Kotoni Staggs
4 Gehamat Shibasaki
5 Jesse Arthars
6 Ben Hunt
7 Adam Reynolds
8 Patrick Carrigan
9 Billy Walters
10 Payne Haas
11 Xavier Willison
16 Brendan Piakura
13 Kobe Hetherington
Subs (all used)
12 Jordan Riki
14 Cory Paix
15 Corey Jensen
17 Jaiyden Hunt