I will have to eat humble pie and admit Nathan Cleary has impressed me. I said he isn't very creative as a half and would struggle to justify his salary. Having watched the genius that is Brandy win a dally M at 19, and take us to two grand finals I always judged him against that gold standard. It's a high bar and lets just say he is unlikely to generate the same sort of try assists and line break assists that Brandy could. He just doesn't have his vision, but then again not many players ever do.
But, that said he is now showing he has his own strengths to compensate and I think he is a combination of Gower and Brandy. He has Gowers effort and toughness, he never shirks a tackle or avoids taking a hit (hello Mitchell Moses, how's the dinner suit) and Brandy's kicking flair. His tactical kicking this year is the best in the NRL.
I would also like to praise him for trying to constantly improve his game. Every year he has added a little something. Last year, under Maloney's guidance he improved his short kicking game and started getting lots of repeat sets. This year he has added a short passing game to his armoury and added the Cronk chip kick inside the 20 to his game. This year he has improved to the point of being considered to be one of the best players in the game. Considering the Tik Tok fiasco and the pressure of having your Dad as the coach, it's a remarkable effort to be where he is. His mental toughness on a scale of 1 to 10 Chuck Norris's is probably 11.
The second thing that has impressed me is the front row rotation. They have just monstered every single team and I'm sure after their demolition of Parramatta will lead the competition for pre contact metres and post contact metres. JFH has a massive engine and keeps generating big metres and high tackle counts. He also hits hard without any of the dramatic theatre of standing over players he has just felled, he is a silent, smiling assassin.
Tamou and Leota's work rates are so good, they currently sit at 15th and 6th in the NRL respectively for involvement rate. The involvement rate measures tackle % and run% during the minutes they are on the field and the their share in the number plays during that time. Every position is included in this so our props are competing against back rowers and locks, making their rating even more impressive. Furthermore, they both play reasonable minutes each game, making their ability to maintain a high work rate more difficult. Add to this the contribution from Tetavao and Leniu and our front row is absolutely smashing teams. Leniu is just a baby in front row terms and is making an average of 10m per run and has an effective tackle percentage of 94%!
I think this is the best front row rotation we have ever had and include the Lang, Ross, Clinton combination in that comparison. High praise indeed.
The fitness doesn't impress me because under Hook we were just as fit. Cleary mucked it up last year with his Pie Face fitness regime and has only got them back to where they were.
I also want to credit Cleary and the coaching team for helping Luai, Naden and Crichton improve in their second seasons, a difficult task that has seen many players struggle. The players deserve credit for knuckling down and working hard as well.
Lastly, I am also impressed by the togetherness of the team and applaud Cleary for creating the environment to foster that spirit. The removal of certain players seems to have improved morale and there isn't a single one of those players that we can look at and regret they left. An amazing turnaround from last year, a year where I heavily criticised Ivan Cleary. I am duty bound to offer praise for this year.