- Melbourne were keen to sign Nathan Cleary in 2015
- We were told halfback wanted to stay at Panthers
- Cleary is now a three-time NRL premiership winner
- Penrith will take on Melbourne in the 2024 NRL grand final
Dubbed the ‘Prince of Penrith’ by many adoring fans, NRL superstar Nathan Cleary has revealed he could have joined the Melbourne Storm just under a decade ago.
It was 2015 and Craig Bellamy was looking for a replacement for Cooper Cronk – and Ivan Cleary had just been fired by Phil Gould from the Panthers because he was ‘tired’.
Cleary is now a three-time premiership-winning coach after returning to the club in 2019 and was in talks to become a consultant at AAMI Park.
His son Nathan – who had yet to make his NRL debut – had a clause in his contract that could have seen the halfback become a free agent.
“I remember there were whispers, but nothing concrete,” Cleary said News Corp.
The Storm popped the question about the emerging playmaker but were politely informed that Cleary wanted to stay with his mates at the foot of the Blue Mountains in NSW.
Melbourne then turned their attention to Jahrome Hughes, turning the fullback into an elite number seven.
And next Sunday night at the Accor Stadium, whoever wins the individual battle between Cleary and Hughes will most likely wear a premiership ring just after full-time.
In a sliding door moment, NRL superstar Nathan Cleary has revealed he could have joined the Melbourne Storm just under a decade ago
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy was said to be interested, but after Cleary stayed at Penrith, the Storm turned their attention to developing Jahrome Hughes
The former full-back has shown his class in the halves and is now also a winner of the Dally M Medal
Hughes will be full of confidence after winning the coveted Dally M medal on Wednesday, while Cleary is in the hunt for his fourth successive premiership.
‘I think they [Storm] are quite happy with their decision anyway,” a modest Cleary said of his opponent Hughes, who is also a Kiwi international.
‘[You could say] it worked both ways.”
Penrith’s playing group also still bears scars from the 2020 NRL decider.
As underdogs heading into the clash, Melbourne raced to a commanding 26-0 lead early in the second half after a try from fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen.
While the minor premiers finished strong, the Storm managed to win a thriller.
Penrith bounced back to win titles from 2021-2023 – and they will eclipse the famous Parramatta team of the 1980s if they can win four consecutive grand finals on Sunday.
Kick-off is at 7.30pm at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
