A lot has been made about Nathan Cleary’s celebration when he sent the World Club Challenge to Golden Point extra time.
It was a celebration that is now somewhat hollow given that the game went to golden point and it was his opposite number Lewis Dodd who sealed the win with a drop goal.
Now legendary commentator Andrew Voss has questioned it on the Vossy and Brandy podcast:
“Now Nathan Cleary it was very odd. He kicked the goal to level up at 12 all in the World Club Challenge and he knows he’s on the big screen, then he does the mimic injecting into his arm.
“The image is that ‘I’ve got ice in my veins, I’m a cool customer’, but even if it is just that which is his intention then that’s him giving himself a rap.
“That’s not the Nathan Cleary I know. It made me go mmmm. Then of course there’s drug connotations too, no one needs that on a football field. That was just really odd from Nathan Cleary, just extreme times 10.”
Greg Alexander echoed these thoughts: “We were in the box commentating and when he did kick that goal to level up with a minute to go and I saw him do that, I sort of brushed over and wondered what it was.
“Then someone pulled it up yesterday and I realised it’s very un-Nathan Cleary like.”
“I’ve never known Nathan to try and promote himself or do something like that. He’s very level-headed. When you hear Nathan Cleary talk he doesn’t talk about himself or he doesn’t promote himself, that’s why I said it was un-Nathan like.”
