At just 23 years old, Nathan Cleary may be the best player in the NRL, but where does he rank among the all-time great halfbacks at the same age?
That was the question posed by Gary Belcher to Scott Sattler on Sportsday, taking into account that the Panthers star has played 111 first-grade games, has eight Origin appearances, a Dally M Halfback of the Year and led his side to last year's Grand Final.
The pair compared those achievements to some of the greatest halfbacks in history in Andrew Johns, Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk at the same age to see where he sits.
“Joey (Andrew Johns) was born in 1974, so at 23 turning 24 like Nathan, he’d won a comp with Newcastle in ’97, he’d played for Australia in the ’95 World Cup and had won a Dally M by the time he was 23,” Sattler said.
“You’ve got to remember Nathan Cleary is leading the Dally M at the moment, and he hasn’t played for Australia yet and he’s yet to win a comp, so it’s fair to say Joey’s ahead at the same age.
“JT (Johnathan Thurston) was born in 1983, so he won a premiership off the bench with the Bulldogs before he was 23.
“He took the Cowboys to a Grand Final in 2005 in his first year there, he was 22 that year and won a Dally M medal as well (in 2005). It’s fair to say JT’s probably a little bit ahead of Nathan at the same age.
“Cooper Cronk is the interesting one, he’s the same age as Thurston (born in 1983) and in 2006 he was the Dally M Halfback of the Year, and won the comp in 2007.”
After taking in the aforementioned trio’s achievements, Belcher said he sees most resemblance to Cronk in Cleary’s game at the same age.
“When I weigh it up style wise, I think Nathan’s closer to Cooper Cronk than the other two,” Belcher said.
“He’s really level headed, not going to try anything outrageous like JT could or like Joey could.
“I think it’s a good question, and in a year or two he’s probably a bit closer.”
Sattler then asked Belcher if Cleary could have a similar level of success to the trio once his career is said and done.
“If he keeps going the way he is, it’s likely,” Belcher replied.
“But it’s early days of what could be a fantastic career.”
Cleary will lead the New South Wales Blues from halfback in the State of Origin series opener tonight in Townsville.