Nathan Cleary's sobering admission about his Origin legacy

Kieran Francis

Nathan Cleary's sobering admission about his Origin legacy image

NSW star Nathan Cleary has admitted his Origin legacy is tainted by another team and personal failure on the big stage.

The Blues went down 24-12 to Queensland in the Origin decider at Accor Stadium, losing the series 2-1 after winning the first match at Suncorp Stadium.

While Cleary has co-captained Penrith to four straight NRL titles, he has struggled to replicate that form on the representative stage.

The 27-year-old half-back has been involved in three Origin deciders and hasn't come out on the winning side.

When asked post-match if this meant he had failed to 'own' Origin, Cleary said: "At the end of the day, I haven’t.

"I’m the harshest marker on myself anyway, so I don’t think what other people say is out of line because I probably think that myself anyway.

"You just feel like you’ve let down the boys you play with and your state. That’s what hurts the most.

"Terrible. It’s frustrating. I’ve been here before and it’s happened again."

Cleary has been battling a hip issue recently that at one stage forced him to avoid kicking duties at club level.

But the Panthers star offered no excuses for NSW's defeat and lamented the result of losing such a big match.

"It’s much like the grand final," he said.

"It’s the biggest game of all and if you lose it, you’ve got to wait a whole another year. It’s about growing from it and trying to find ways to get better."

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.