DANE ELDRIDGE: NRL State of Origin greatness still eludes Nathan Cleary

After four premierships and two Clive Churchill Medals, picking fault with Nathan Cleary is like bagging the Sydney Harbour Bridge for blocking ocean views.

But whether his lack of a Dally M Medal, accusations he’s only a “system halfback” or how it’s no coincidence fuel prices have skyrocketed on his watch, critics continue confecting blemishes on the champion’s glittering CV.

But for all his achievements, there is one glaring absence on his bio we all agree on - even him - and that’s his failure to collar Origin and dominate the arena like he does the NRL.

Cleary’s legacy as a football demigod was secured long ago, but if he is to dine on the mezzanine level in the game’s pantheon of greats then he needs to influence interstate footy like Wally Lewis, Andrew Johns and Barry Gomersall.

It’s even something he’s admitted himself, lamenting about not “owning” Origin last year after the Blues’ bruising defeat in the decider by conceding that “at the end of the day I haven’t.”

But with his club side purring in comparison to this time last year when it was in the doldrums, the 17-time Blue will enter this series in finer shape than ever to right his wrongs.

Not only is the expectation ratcheting up with every passing year as the opportunities become more scarce, the mental luggage will only get heftier too.

Of course it’s no secret that Origin, for all its inherent simplicity in rewarding whoever goes hardest for the full 80, is bloody hard to win- especially for NSW.

While Queensland revels in its pressure, down here in the South it scrambles the state’s collective brain in everything from the 80 minutes to the selection table.

This is why we keep losing our minds in defeat - despite having plenty of practice - and blame everything on the halfback regardless of how the team wets the bed again.

Making inroads in to defensive lines in Origin is already like carving turkey with a door key, but even if the forwards get flattened we’ll still find a reason to point the finger at our halfback for not taking enough hit-ups.

In fact, there’s disgruntled fans still dirty on Brett Kimmorley for his intercept pass in 2005 and others seeking legal advice on suing Mitchell Pearce for emotional damages from Queensland’s eight-in-a-row series dominance.

And that’s why Cleary isn’t be the first halfback we’ve lustily dogpiled upon and he won’t be the last.

But sadly, what exacerbates his predicament is that he keeps letting himself down by being so goddamn talented at rugby league.

It’s no secret Cleary has mastered club footy, with the halfback becoming one of the NRL’s most iciest iceman to ever ice.

But while he’s flourished since burying the demons of Penrith’s 2020 grand final defeat under a pile of rings, these virtues have yet to be showcased in the magmatic core of Origin’s pressure cooker.

While the playmaker can casually evade onrushing tacklers to coolly slot clutch field goals for the Panthers, for some reason he can’t do the same when it’s a converging ensemble of steaming Queenslanders.

Hence why as a man who leads a Panthers team that wins insistently and eats big games for breakfast, his overall record in Origin of 8-9, including three losses in deciders, radiates on his resume like a cottage cheese zit.

It doesn’t help when rivals like Cam Munster and Tom Dearden continually show him up either, with the Storm wizard labeled as the modern Wally Lewis and the Cowboys playmaker demonstrating his appetite for high stakes in bossing last series with a man-of-the-match award in the decider and Wally Lewis Medal honours.

And while he’s no geriatric, at age 28 the clock is ticking for Cleary.

Not only is the expectation ratcheting up with every passing year as the opportunities become more scarce, the mental luggage will only get heftier too.

Plus who knows where he’ll be after 2027 when his old man bails out of club coaching?

Sure, father Ivan could be overseeing the Blues by then but alternatively he could also be on a beach, and that could spur Nathan to do something for himself in dad’s absence by moving offshore somewhere adjacent to his partner Mary Fowler.

So yes, Origin is a bloody tough gig, and not everyone ‘gets’ it.

But Cleary is on the cusp of accomplishing one of greatest things a footballer can achieve: shutting everyone up.

All it requires is overcoming his own demons to silence the ones online but the only way he can do that now is by carving up the Maroons a couple of times in prime time.

So forget another premiership or winning a Dally M or even getting our fuel cheaper, Cleary needs to ball-out in Origin this year before that pimple becomes a scar.