After captaining back-to-back Premiership-winning sides, NRL Immortal Andrew ‘Joey’ Johns has proclaimed that Nathan Cleary has overtaken Greg Alexander as the greatest player in Panthers history.
Cleary has been the leader of the Panthers side that has made the last three Grand Finals and has been awarded the Dally M halfback of the year twice in that time period.
SEN’s Greg Alexander agreed with Johns’ statement, praising Cleary’s ability on and off the field.
“I agree with Joey, Nathan is the complete player and he is only 24, but we can only judge him on what he’s done so far,” Alexander said on SEN 1170 Afternoons.
“He’s a marvel, he’s a one-of-a-kind Nathan, it’s all about his approach, it’s more about how he focuses and leaves nothing to chance, but that doesn’t mean he’s robotic.
“He’s very clever, he is that player right now at 24, there’s no doubt about it, he’s the bloke if I had to put my trust into anyone to get a job done on the footy field, I’d pick Nathan any day of the week.
“He’s just that type of individual, it’s not so much about what Nathan can do with the football in his hands, it’s his mindset.
“I don’t like comparing, but for the almost 20 years that Cameron Smith played, he was the one with the composure around the ruck, Nathan has that special trait.
“The noise you bring into a game, the craziness of an NRL set, Nathan has the ability to remain composed and things will begin to slow down for you, that’s what Cameron Smith was like and that’s what Nathan is like now."
Prior to Cleary’s emergence, Alexander was widely regarded as the consensus greatest Penrith player ever, captaining the maiden Panthers premiership side in 1991.