Cleary makes the grade in NSW blue
Blues rookie will have some support from on high, reports Christian Nicolussi.
LIVING in Auckland, watching the Origin series kick off at 10pm was never a problem for Nathan Cleary.
The little kid with big brown hair and an even bigger right boot used to go to bed straight after school so he could stay up late and watch his beloved NSW.
‘‘We’d always tell him if he wanted to watch Origin he needed a sleep, so he’d go to bed at 7pm and we’d wake him up at 10pm,’’ Cleary’s proud mother Bec said.
‘‘He was always NSW. His younger brother Jett and sister Milaya were born in New Zealand but always supported Queensland because of Steve Price who was playing for Ivan [Cleary] at the Warriors. GETTY IMAGES
‘‘Queensland always used to win.
‘‘When ‘Nat’ started playing first grade, Jett would still go for Queensland, but told him, ‘the only time I’ll go for NSW is if you play for the Blues’.
‘‘Now he wants all the Blues gear and anything with ‘Cleary’ on the back.’’
Of the 11 Blues debutants who will run on to the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Wednesday’s Origin opener, none of them have given fans more hope than rookie playmaker Cleary.
The 20-year-old will have as many family members down south.
Most of them were across the road at AAMI Park when he made his NRL debut for Penrith just two years ago.
Sadly, Cleary’s biggest fan, his late grandfather Tim Stuart, will have to watch on from above.
If you look closely enough during the TV coverage on Wednesday, Cleary will run on to the hallowed turn before kick-off and take a quick glance to the night sky.
‘‘Even when dad was sick in the end, and on a dialysis machine three times a week, he would still get to as many games as he could,’’ Bec said.
‘‘He passed away on September 22 [2015], three days before Nat played for the Australian Schoolboys in Brisbane.
‘‘We had paid for him and mumto fly up and watch him play.
‘‘I got the call on the Monday to come to the hospital, and he died the next night.
‘‘When Nat told us last weekend he got picked for NSW, I have a little shrine [in the living room] for dad, I had a bit of a cry and said, ‘grandad’ would be so proud of you’.’’
Dad Ivan added: ‘‘Tim was his biggest fan. He’d watch replays, sometimes twice. He never saw him play first grade, which was a shame.’’
The Clearys welcomed us to their extravagant house at the foot of the mountains this week to throw open the family photo albums.
There were no shortage of photos involving sports.
Most of the photos feature a chubby-faced Nathan decked out in a Warriors jersey during his dad’s playing days at the club and then later as head coach.
A photo of Ivan holding Nathan and his little sister, Indiana, in his final game for the Warriors in 2002, is one of his favourites.
Good mate Kevin Campion and two of his children also appear in the image.
Campion remains good friends with Cleary and texted Ivan at the start of the week to wish Nathan the best.
‘‘I hope he plays well, but there’s no way I can go for the Blues,’’ Campion wrote.
For all his big moments during his own playing and coaching career, Ivan can not begin to describe the emotions ahead of Wednesday night.
He is close with his eldest boy.
Ivan and Nathan have made no secret of the fact they would love to be at the one club one day.
Bec certainly hopes it happens.
‘‘Nathan always thinks I go for ‘Ivy’ rather than him,’’ Bec says.
‘‘I tell him I don’t, I go for both of you, but dad pays the bills.
‘‘I always tell Nat it would be easier if you played together.
‘‘I’ll never put any pressure on him or make him think he has to play for Ivan.
‘‘But that would be my ultimate dream – for my husband and son to play in the same team. Hopefully it will happen one day.’’ The Sun-Herald