At the start of the season, we were asking if Nathan Cleary was capable of replacing James Maloney as Penrith's No.1 playmaker.
Now, we're asking if he's currently the best player in the NRL - and the answer is almost certainly yes.
It was a pointed pre-season question that looks foolish in hindsight, yet that was the state of play. Cleary looked an immense prospect but hadn't yet shown that he could run a team to an elite standard. Penrith finished just 10th last season, even with Maloney.
So was Cleary really good enough? He responded by turning the Panthers into premiership favourites and marking himself as a potential all-time great.
It has been a staggering rise for the halfback, 22, who despite having two years of NSW Origin duty under his belt was still developing his game.
It has progressed in such remarkable fashion this season that rugby league legend Billy Slater told Wide World of Sports that Cleary was both the most improved and best player in the NRL.
It's no surprise that he's a leading contender for the upcoming Rugby League Players Association's Players' Champion award; the coveted, peer-voted best player gong.
"I think Nathan's been probably the best player in the competition consistently throughout the year," Slater said.
"His team's won the minor premiership, they're sitting pretty going into a preliminary final. He's had a fantastic season.
"I think he's evolved his game, probably been the most improved player in the competition, too. He was already at a pretty high level.
"He touches the ball more than any other halfback in the game and with the rule changes, his team's certainly benefitting from that.
"I think Nathan Cleary's going to feature really well in this, he might just take a suitcase full of trophies home at the end of the year with all the awards on offer. I think the Players' Champion could be Nathan Cleary."
Iconic halfback Peter Sterling told Wide World of Sports that Cleary had answered every question over his quality this season, playing under father-coach Ivan Cleary and attack guru Trent Barrett.
"I guess there was a question mark when James Maloney left the club as to whether Nathan would be able to step up and really take control of this football team. Well, he's done that in remarkable fashion," Sterling said.
"He's got such poise; cool, calm and collected, and not fazed by any kinds of situations. That's why he's played Origin at such a young age and that's why he's been such a great leader for Penrith this year."
The Panthers have lost a single game this year, by six points to the Eels. They have won their last 16 games in a row. Slater said that Cleary was ticking every box during the dominant run, even in defence.
"I think it's just his involvement. He's a very good defender, a bit like Andrew Johns. He holds his own in the defensive line; usually those halfbacks are a bit of a vulnerability in defence but certainly not Nathan Cleary," Slater said.
"And it's his ends to his sets, he finishes his sets really well, he doesn't give the opposition too many opportunities or too many cheap seven-tackle restarts and that sort of stuff.
"He's laid on plenty of tries, he scored a hat-trick in the first final in the first half. He's just had an incredible season, playing in a great team. They're very confident and he'll feature nicely [in the RLPA awards]."
Slater said Cleary also looked ready to dominate at Origin level, having done a solid but unspectacular job for the Blues thus far.
"I think that'll be his mindset. I think he sees himself as the dominant person in each team and you put him with good players around him, like Luke Keary, [James] Tedesco and the likes, well, he's just going to thrive in that environment," Slater said.
"As a Queenslander, it's not very promising for us but it's great to see him playing well for the Panthers and I'm sure he's going to have something else on his mind for the next few weeks."
Cleary had 15 try assists this season and engaged the defensive line more than any other half (148), while topping nearly every kicking stat; total kicks (338), kick metres (9,566), 40/20s (4) and field goals (4). He sits third for goals (80).
Cleary has his team one win away from the grand final, largely thanks to his partnership with long-time juniors teammate Jarome Luai. The clever five-eighth has himself been sensational, with 22 try assists and 18 line break assists this season, while matching Cleary with seven tries.
Cleary has emerged as the hot tip for the RLPA Players' Champion but has excellent competition. Here are the other players on the five-man shortlist, confirmed today ahead of the announcement of the winner in Nine's coverage of grand final day.
JAMES TEDESCO (Roosters)
The Roosters fullback won the RLPA gong last year, in a sensational season where he was also the Dally M Medallist, Wally Lewis Medallist and a back-to-back premiership winner. He was also Players' Champion in 2017, his last season with Wests Tigers.
"Ever since he's gone to the Roosters, no doubt his game's gone to another level," NRL great Johnathan Thurston told Wide World of Sports.
"Especially defensively, getting that line organised at the Roosters; there's probably no better in the competition than Teddy. Leads the stats for tackle breaks (139), line break assists (21) as well, and scored [11] tries over the year.
"Not only is he scoring tries but he's creating opportunities for the men around him. They've got a lethal backline there at the Roosters.
"He probably didn't really have a passing game before he went [to the Roosters], it was all power, all using his running game to create opportunities. But we're now seeing him ice those three-on-twos, putting his centre over for tries or making those line break assists. His game's gone to another level and I think a lot of players who've played against him would no doubt see him as the best on the park."
Thurston said that Tedesco was an exceptionally hard player to tackle.
"Just the strength and the power through his mid-section, his lower base," Thurston said.
"He keeps those legs pumping as well, so you'll see a lot of people try to tackle him low but because he's got that strength there, he can use that powerful mid-section to break those tackles. Also, if they go high on him, he breaks the tackles with a palm or a bump and because he's got such good, fast feet and leg drive, it keeps his body moving in that direction. It's very hard to tackle him, that's for sure."
Tedesco, 27, will hopefully feature for NSW in the upcoming Origin series after the Roosters' premiership reign ended. His form gradually spiked this season, after he initially took a greater role in playmaking with Victor Radley out injured and Kyle Flanagan finding his feet, and again became lethal around the ball.
"I love the way he plays on the ball, he's like a human pinball, he just bounces from one [defender] to the other," Jillaroos great Ruan Sims told Wide World of Sports. "His athleticism is second to none."
LUKE KEARY (Roosters)
The Roosters five-eighth, 28, ended the season under scrutiny, with his form dipping and putting a long-awaited NSW Origin debut at risk; though he has made the 27-man Blues squad.
Yet Keary is a champion, a triple premiership winner and Clive Churchill Medallist who produced plenty of strong performances again in 2020. He also signed a three-year contract extension with the Roosters.
"When the Roosters have been in trouble, he's the young man who has stood up and got them out of trouble," Sterling told Wide World of Sports.
While South Sydney's Cody Walker has made a huge bid to snatch the NSW No.6 jersey, Sims said that Keary should get the job. Significantly, she believes that his defence has noticeably improved.
"He's going to be partnering Cleary, you would imagine, for the Blues," Sims said.
"Keary is just wonderful with the ball in hand, especially when they work those short-side raids for the Roosters, he's instrumental in that. He's got a wonderful running game and his vision throughout the game is fantastic.
"What I think I've enjoyed most about his development this year has been his defence, he has really starched up his defence. He gets a lot of traffic sent his way but he steps up to the mark every single time and he's got wonderful players around him, which he's able to give a lot of opportunities to."
Keary had 18 tries assists and scored 10 tries this season, while also notching 13 line break assists as the Roosters' chief playmaker.
JOSH PAPALII (Raiders)
Papalii, 28, is a long-time Test and Origin forward yet went from a very good to exceptional prop during last year's NRL finals.
He has maintained the rage this season, powering a Canberra side that will contend for a grand final spot this weekend against Melbourne, after an agonising loss to the Roosters in last year's decider.
Papalii is a beast, the kind of ball-runner who can barely be contained and a feared defender who can inflict pain. He was the eighth most prolific runner among forwards (3,196m) this season, a ranking that belies his effectiveness, and chipped in with five tries.
"There's no better front-rower in the competition at the moment than Josh Papalii," Sterling told Wide World of Sports.
"You don't win a premiership without at least one quality front-rower. You have a look through all the teams that have won and there's been somebody who's led the way through the middle.
"You've got to get domination through the middle third and Josh Papalii for Canberra, I think this has been his best year, his most consistent year. There's an intimidation factor about him and he's got the ability to score crucial tries; we saw him in last year's grand final, we've seen him in the finals series [this year] able to get over the line.
"I'll never forget this chase [to run down Titans halfback Jamal Fogarty], this is the play of the season. I don't think Jamal Fogarty will ever live that down.
"Papalii, he's established himself as an elite front-rower."
ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK (Warriors)
The Warriors captain and superstar fullback, 27, was the 2018 Dally M Medallist and has long been one of the NRL's most brilliant players.
His character was called upon even more so than his talent this season. RTS perhaps wasn't at his best but was still good more often than not, while guiding his team through a difficult, enforced stay in Australia amid COVID-19 restrictions.
"Great leadership. A tough season for them but he led the way," Sterling told Wide World of Sports.
"I think we've seen a different side to Roger this year. His talent and ability has always been remarkable, it's easy to see, but the way that he's led the Warriors here through his actions but also through his words; he's a quietly-spoken individual but he's really risen to the occasion in what's been the toughest of years for the Warriors.
"When you get down the attacking end of the field, you're looking to get the ball into the hands of your most dangerous player and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is clearly that for them."
Tuivasa-Sheck put the Warriors on his back, rating third in the NRL for total run metres with 3,974; trailing only Tedesco and Clint Gutherson.
Sterling named Eels captain Gutherson and Raiders star Jack Wighton as players who were unlucky not to be shortlisted.
He tipped Nathan Cleary to win Players' Champion, while Sims opted for Josh Papalii.
"Any of those five deserve it," Sterling said.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/rlpa-players-champion-shortlist-rookie-of-year-cleary-keary-papalii-tedesco-tuivasa-sheck/768eae52-ea58-4b9b-b9a3-bfa514f6e026
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