Nathan Cleary has laughed off emerging suggestions the Penrith Panthers may not lift for the 2023 NRL finals in ways they have in the past having already won the 2021 and 2022 campaigns.
The Panthers finished the NRL regular season in top spot after a tight battle with the resurgent Brisbane Broncos, though the scrap for the table-topping silverware came down to the last day.
Click Here To Get Our FREE NRL Tips Every Week!
Now, on the eve of the defending champions’ clash with the New Zealand Warriors on Saturday afternoon, Cleary has had to wave away claims the first-placed team is facing motivation issues. Instead, the Panthers halfback said, they’re relishing the chance to do it all again after already proving they could do it twice in a row.
“The opportunity itself is enough motivation,” he said.
“Something we talk about a lot is that it’s a battle against yourself. Trying to get the best out of yourself. That is motivation. Trying to get the best out of the group we have, not taking it for granted. It doesn’t last for long, footy. You’ve got to make the most of it, particularly when you have a good team and system.”
Penrith have an even more interesting quest to complete in the 2023 finals too. Should they come out on top in October, the squad from the foot of the mountains will become the first team since the Eels in 1983 to clinch a third straight title.
In the history of the sport, only seven rosters have ever achieved the same.
For that reason, Cleary promises the Panthers aren’t going to let things dip. They may already have several trophies and plates sitting in their cabinet in Penrith, but that doesn’t mean the job is done. If anything, it gives them a leg up over some of their rivals in every must-win battle.
“Experience always helps, and the only way to get it is by actually playing,” Cleary said. “Thinking back, it just felt like a ride at that time. It was a whirlwind.
“We were just enjoying it [in the 2021 and 2022 seasons]. We probably weren’t looking into it too much. We were just trying to keep it rolling. But now it’s something we’ve done before. Just with what we’ve been able to do and what it takes.”
Click Here To Get Our FREE NRL Tips Every Week!
He soon added his team is “a lot more excited rather than nervous.”
