The hard part is that it takes confidence to win games, and it takes winning games to find confidence.
The solution is a combination of tightening the defence back up to premiership-winning standard and knowing when to pull the trigger in attacking plays, says Cleary.
“It’s definitely [defence] not where we want it to be,” Cleary says. “I wouldn’t say it’s [just] the defensive system … it’s sort of more coming up with the right play at the right time, we’re just missing that at the moment, and maybe a bit of lack of confidence, but it’s easy to turn that around. I just have full faith in our team and the players in it that we’ll be right.”
The loss of Cleary’s lost long-term halves partner Jarome Luai – a player Cleary called the “premier five-eighth in the game” – to the Tigers at the end of last season didn’t help matters.
Rising star Blaize Talagi is earmarked as the club’s long-term five-eighth, but coach Ivan Cleary has deemed the summer recruit not yet ready for the NRL. Jack Cole has taken up the No. 6 jumper in the meantime.
Cleary urged people to be patient with Talagi – a little short-term pain for long-term gain – and said the 20-year-old was destined to play in the halves.
“He definitely thinks like a spine player [Talagi], and I think it’s just a bonus that he’s able to fill in in these other positions,” Cleary said.
Nathan Cleary and Mary Fowler.Credit: Instagram
“Because, as the cliché goes, he’s just a natural footy player. He understands the game really well, so I think long-term definitely the spine.”
The Panthers play the Cowboys in Parramatta at 6pm on Friday night, just two hours before Cleary’s girlfriend Mary Fowler steps out at Allianz Stadium to play in the Matildas’ friendly against South Korea.
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Cleary will miss the match, but said he would try to make the second leg of the double-header in Newcastle on Monday.
“It’s just too close in between, but I’ll try to get up to Newcastle on Monday night for the game … It feels like a little refresh whenever I get to see her, and I’m definitely grateful for it.”
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Michael Chammas and Andrew “Joey” Johns dissect the upcoming NRL round, plus the latest footy news, results and analysis. Sign up for the Sin Bin newsletter.
