Nathan Cleary begged Paul “Fatty” Vautin not to make fun of him as football greats marveled at the midfielder’s performance during the Blues ’44-12 victory at Origin II on Sunday night.
Cleary pulled the strings and scored 24 points (two tries, seven conversions, one penalty goal) to make sure the series will move to a decisive decision in Brisbane next month.
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After Queensland’s victory in Origin I, Cameron Munster locked Phil Gould in a post-match interview when the rugby league supreme tried to suggest that the series was over, because the Maroons were a blockade to win the third game at Suncorp Stadium, regardless of the result in Perth.
This time it was Cleary rejecting a claim from Queensland legend Vautin after the match for not being “tricked”.
Vautin: “Is there any chance of losing another goal? Honestly, it’s a gee-up. Eight of eight “.
Cleary: “Do not say that!”
Vautin: “Can you give us a break?”
Cleary: “See me. (You’re) trying to fool me.”
New host James Bracey said “don’t stick it,” while Gould, who was also sitting at the desk for post-match analysis, jumped up with a smile and told Cleary that he “ignored this.”
Gould told Cleary to ignore Vautin.Source: Channel 9
On a serious note, Vautin asked if Cleary was surprised by the “Queensland-like defense” the Blues found at the end of the second half when Billy Slater’s troops marched under a mountain of possession against them, allowing the floodgates opened.
“I thought it was from the platform we built,” Cleary said. “It came a little in the first half, but we were a little undisciplined.
“In that second half we put our foot down and put some pressure.”
Around this time in his talk, the remaining members of the crowd that absorbed a NSW victory were unleashed as a field invader headed to Optus Stadium.
Bracey turned from his chair to see what all the fuss was about before Vautin did the same seconds later, as the overly excited fan was seen at the bottom of Nine’s broadcast being chased by security.
The unwanted visitor then fell face down on the grass before being escorted by the fluoride brigade.
Cleary worried about getting too carried away with the 32-point win, fully aware that victory in the west means nothing if his teammates can’t support him in Brisbane in a couple of weeks.
Vautin was optimistic that Queensland would recover in Game 3, and told NSW game creator “you can’t win at Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium)”.
“I think we can enjoy that, but we can’t be too happy with ourselves,” Cleary said. “We have to keep working to improve.
“That was the statement of the last game. We have to be hungry and we have to want it.
“There is still one more thing to do. Tonight is great, we will love it, but there is another job to do. “
An unwanted visitor tried to take his moment under the sun.Source: Channel 9
Cleary was criticized for his disappointing performance in Game 1, but showed great maturity to return as he did and lead the Blues to a series leveling victory, setting up tries with stitches and cut passes and scoring two himself. of four points. running near the line.
Blues legend Andrew Johns said Cleary, who is still only 24, was playing as if he had been wearing the shirt for a decade.
“(Cleary) was amazing tonight. What he’s doing at his age as a midback at that level, there’s been no medium that has done that at Origin,” Johns said.
“His career is going up and up. Some of those passes, his kicks, his running game, he’s controlling the pace of the game. He knows when to speed up the team. It was a master class.
“And do it on your own. When he entered Origin, the only blow I had to Nathan was his creativity, playing within the structure, taking no risks. He is doing it now.
“He is playing as a midfielder who has been playing at this level for 10 years. I had him hooked up tonight. And to do so against the real elite, he took off their pants so many times.
Gould called the performance “one of the truly great half-defensive performances in Origin’s story.”
“In the first half he was a little frantic and from side to side and trying to find something and a sharp kick to Burton caused him a spark and he suddenly started tearing Queensland apart,” he said. Gould.
“The two plays that I thought were fantastic were the first throws, the 40-20 in the corner and the early chip throw in that corner, which put Ponga in goal and scored from the start of the line.
“Then he got into rhythm, the top pass, the mannequin, the show and he went, and he played with the backs of good strikers. As the game progressed, he entered another stratosphere of his own performance. “
Nathan Cleary was in a league of his own. (Photo by Paul Kane / Getty Images) Source: Getty Images