The Panthers are 80 minutes away from a fourth-straight premiership after Penrith No.7 Cleary pulled all the strings in Saturday night's victory over the Sharks at Accor Stadium.
Cleary set up three of Penrith's four tries, kicked a pivotal 40-20 and converted four goals from five attempts.
Perfect execution from Cleary! 👌— NRL (@NRL) #NRLFinals @telstra Moment of the Match pic.twitter.com/Cx0zCFWl8OSeptember 28, 2024
But the halfback's fitness is set to be a major talking point heading into next Sunday's grand final meeting with Melbourne after he reeled out of a tackle late in the second half.
Cleary missed a big chunk of this season with a shoulder issue and he was substituted off with five minutes left after grimacing through more defensive work.
"It's all good, it was just a bit of a knock," Cleary said.
"It was always going to be one of things where I wasn't at 100 per cent.
"I definitely felt confident to go back out on the field and play ... I wasn't even thinking about it.
"Even after that little incident, I played the next two sets and was sweet."
The only other concern for the Panthers will be the availability of hooker Mitch Kenny, who was placed on report for a high shot that took out Sharks prop Tom Hazleton midway through the second half.
Cronulla were gallant throughout the game but they struggled to ice the chances that fell to them and Penrith, by contrast, had no such issues.
Nathan Cleary leaves the field with a shoulder complaint, but with a win in the bag. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
Their pursuit of a fourth consecutive premiership and a passage into a fifth-straight grand final was not without its challenges but they showed the maturity that has them on the cusp of more NRL records.
"I'm so happy to be back in a grand final, it's so surreal actually," said Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.
"I thought tonight's performance wasn't our best but I thought defensively was just about our best this year in many respects which gives us a lot of confidence."
Tied 2-2 after Nicho Hynes and Cleary had traded penalties, Penrith showed the trademark ruthlessness that had made them three-time reigning premiers.
After a knock-on denied Hynes a try, Cleary relieved some pressure by booting a 40-20 on the next set.
Suddenly entrenched in Cronulla territory, the Panthers wasted little time as Cleary sent an inch-perfect ball for centre Paul Alamoti to crash over.
"That's how they play, that's why they're three-time premiers," said Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon.
"They're a team in the middle of a dynasty and we're a team in the middle of development.
"There's levels to it and we're not quite there (yet)."
Cleary converted Alamoti's try and added a penalty - Siosifa Talakai was penalised for a late hit on Jarome Luai - to give the Panthers a 10-2 halftime lead.
Paul Alamoti charges through for one of Penrith's four tries. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)
Kenny's high hit on Hazleton gave Cronulla a breakthrough after a tense 20-minute period to open the second half.Â
Sione Katoa touched down in the corner to cut Penrith's lead to just four points but Hynes was unable to convert from the sideline to reduce the deficit further.
In the mood for more, the Sharks were coming into their own when Oregon Kaufusi made a handling error.
And Penrith smelt blood.
Cleary put Brian To'o over with a crossfield kick, before setting up Alamoti for his second try of the night.
After their halfback was taken off, Liam Martin put the final nail in Cronulla's coffin with a short-range try to sew up the win for the Panthers.
10°C