The incumbent halfback has been under an injury cloud.
Phil Gould has put forward a bold solution if Nathan Cleary is ruled out for the State of Origin decider, urging selectors to turn to the most experienced halfback available.
Speaking on 100% Footy, the veteran broadcaster and premiership winning coach made the case for Adam Reynolds to step in and steer the Blues around the park in what would be his first Origin appearance since 2016.
Cleary’s ongoing groin issue has left the door ajar for other playmakers to stake a claim, with names like Jarome Luai, Matt Burton, Isaiya Katoa and Luke Metcalf floated as possible replacements.
But Gould believes the answer lies in Reynolds’ seasoned control and unshakable temperament.
“Honestly, if it were me, and Cleary was out, and you might laugh at this but I wouldn’t, I’d be picking Adam Reynolds,” Gould said.
“I wouldn’t even hesitate, I wouldn’t even blink. I know exactly what I’m going to get. You’re going to get game management, kicking game, goalkicking, whatever you want. He’s the one that should be doing the job.”
Cleary was noticeably limited during Origin II, relinquishing goal-kicking duties and only resuming general play-kicking in the second half.
With Mitchell Moses also sidelined due to a calf strain, Gould sees Reynolds as the logical choice to steady the ship in what looms as a high-stakes decider.
“That’s just a little bit of free advice,” Gould added.
“That’s nothing against Jarome and Matt Burton but that’s not their role, not for an Origin III decider. Bring the kid back.”
Cleary holds secret session to prove fitness
Nathan Cleary is in no doubt for the Origin decider, with the Blues halfback on track to return for Penrith on Thursday night.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary is confident Nathan Cleary will be fine to face the Bulldogs on Thursday night after battling through last week’s State of Origin clash in Perth with a groin complaint that limited his involvement in the first half.
The superstar halfback arrived at Penrith training on Tuesday in good spirits and didn’t appear to be in any pain after he and his Blues teammates sat out the club’s gritty win in Auckland on Saturday.
There were fears Cleary would be in doubt for the Origin decider on July 9, but Blues fans can rest easy knowing their chief playmaker is tracking well and didn’t require scans on the injury.
“Since Origin, he’s just been progressing through his rehab, and that’s been going well. We’ll know more today, but he’s progressed through that really nicely,” Ivan Cleary said.
“I knew what was going on (when it happened). It’s far from ideal when you get injured the day before the game, but he was confident that he could play.
“He was a little bit compromised, but by the second half he was playing – apart from the goalkicking – and doing everything else OK.”
Immortal Andrew Johns warned Cleary about pushing himself too hard given playmakers can battle persistent groin issues from kicking too much.
It’s something the club is well aware of, with the halfback easing his kicking load at training this year in a bid to look after his body.
“We definitely pay a lot of attention to load management,” his father said.
“I think Nat’s changed a lot over the past 12 months or so where he’s done a lot of visualisation in terms of his kicking, so he’s dropped the load.
“I don’t know exactly if it changed going into Origin camp, but we’ll obviously have a look into it because I don’t think he’s done this one before.”
Penrith’s Origin quintet are all good to go for the heavyweight showdown with the high-flying Bulldogs who have a number of former Panthers stars in their squad.
The Panthers are in good form and will use this match to test exactly how well they’re travelling, with Cleary set to lead their attack after getting through a small session on Sunday.
“The boys who played in the Origin game but didn’t go to NZ, we had a small session on the weekend and he got through that sweet,” co-captain Isaah Yeo said.
“I think tonight will be a big one (training session) and then tomorrow as well, but the way it’s pulled up … I’d like to think that he’s OK.
“He’s pretty optimistic about things. Obviously, he’s had a few injuries over the last few years where he’s had to play through things, so he handles it really well.
“He mentioned that he felt a little twinge, but he didn’t tell me he was overly worried about it. It was more a case of him flagging it.
“We had to change a few things on the run during the game, but the way that it’s pulled up and the run we had on Sunday (are good signs).”