‘He belonged’: Jett Cleary repays Warriors’ faith with standout debut

While it was always going to be a huge ask to live up to the hype his surname brings, Warriors rookie half Jett Cleary did everything he needed to do on his first taste of the NRL.

As the Warriors’ injury crisis took another turn last week and saw the pair of Te Maire Martin and Chanel Harris-Tavita suffer hamstring and calf injuries, the 21-year-old was thrown into a surprise NRL debut against the Newcastle Knights yesterday.

After nearly two full seasons playing in the New South Wales Cup, Cleary would have been forgiven if he wasn’t ready for such a hasty debut, especially with just a few days and limited training sessions to prepare.

And yet, despite a slow start that saw the Warriors fall to a 16-0 deficit inside 15 minutes, Cleary grew into the game and played a vital hand in the come-from-behind victory.

In 80 minutes, Cleary created three tries, and kicked for over 200m, threw one linebreak assist, made 14 tackles, and broke three more with ball in hand.

As the son of former Warriors coach Ivan, and brother of Penrith Panthers star Nathan, Jett’s journey to first grade has — perhaps unfairly — been one of the most anticipated in the club’s history.

Ivan Cleary hugs son Jett, after his NRL debut for the Warriors against the Newcastle Knights. Photo / Photosport

But as the latest example of the Warriors’ “next-man-up” mentality, Cleary’s display against Newcastle was exactly what his club needed, with the promise of more to come if coach Andrew Webster decides to rotate next week, with a top two finish effectively sealed.

“He looked like he belonged,” co-captain Mitch Barnett said. “For a young half — and I’m nowhere near a half — they just want to tackle well and kick well.

“I thought he defended really well, [Greg] Marzhew’s not easy to handle, even that back rower [Francis Manulelua] has been causing a bit of havoc on his edges.

“Jett held his gloves up, he ticked the first one off, and he’ll only get better each time he takes the field now.”

Perhaps the biggest compliment to Cleary came from the opposition. On more than one occasion, the rookie was the target of late, high tackles, before being outright tipped on his back late in the game.

As Knights captain Kalyn Ponga explained, there was a very deliberate effort from Newcastle to make things as difficult as possible for Cleary.

“Whenever there’s a young half, someone on debut, naturally you want to test them out,” he said.

“He went well, he played his role. It’s a hard one when we had 12 [players] on the field.

“But he’ll be proud, his family will be proud no doubt. When he sits at home in the years to come and looks at his debut, it’s a win, so he’ll be happy.”

Perhaps making the week easier for Cleary was the fact that New South Wales Cup halves partner Luke Hanson was the five-eighth next to him.

Hanson, 22, has spent most of the season playing alongside Cleary, having also both come through the same system at the Panthers before both moving on to the Warriors.

With just two NRL games under his belt before facing the Knights, Hanson was the senior halves partner on-field, and clearly played a calming role for Cleary, as a familiar face to help out if the occasion got out of hand.

Naturally, then, Hanson — as well as the rest of his teammates — had nothing but praise for Cleary’s day’s work.

“Webby, the coaching staff and all the boys put their trust in us, for us to go out there and be ourselves,” he said.

“[Cleary] was unreal today. He’s a competitor, he competes on everything. I knew he’d come out here and do the same today.

Jett Cleary of the Warriors against the Newcastle Knights. Photo / Photosport

“All teams always come at halves, but he’s a good defender as well. He always holds his own.

“We’ve played a fair bit of footy over the last couple of years, and back home. It was good when I found out when he was playing.”

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.