Nathan Cleary wins the Wally Lewis Medal, man of the series, man of the match

Nathan Cleary has finally put the State of Origin criticism to bed.

The four-time NRL premiership winner’s performances at the Origin level have been a consistent talking point throughout the series, but the Panthers gun responded in a big way on Wednesday night.

After scoring a double in a strong performance in the 2026 decider at Suncorp Stadium, the Blues halfback was awarded the Wally Lewis Medal for the Player of the Series.

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“Firstly, I just wanted to say thank you to Queensland. It’s always such a tough occasion, especially a decider up here and then yeah, our boys,” Cleary said when accepting the medal.

“Absolutely unbelievable, what a group, just instilled that belief the whole way and got the job done.

“So grateful to be a part of it. Thank you to all my family, my close friends, everyone that’s backed me. And yeah, let’s go.”

While Cleary kept his speech short, Phil Gould was happy to speak on his behalf.

The Bulldogs supremo delivered a staunch defence of the premiership-winning halfback, posing a big question regarding the history of Origin football.

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“I find that commentary really lazy and really lame. All this thing about dominating Origin... how many individuals have actually dominated Origin?” he said on Channel Nine.

“They might have dominated a game or had a good night, but to actually do it over a long period of time, I only saw one do it, Wally Lewis back in the 80s.

“It’s an unfair expectation they put on these playmakers that suddenly they have to dominate Origin to be recognised as an Origin player.

“He’s an outstanding Origin player. He’s a champion footballer, cometh the hour, cometh the champion and he got them home and they were absolutely terrific.

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“What he did was he serviced his team beautifully. He got them all playing to the best of their ability. He kicked them downfield. He kept them on the pressure. He kicked his goals.

“He scored the first couple of tries. What more do you want? This rubbish about dominating Origin. I find that ridiculous.”

Meanwhile, Queensland legend Darren Lockyer pulled out his crystal ball ahead of the decider — and he didn’t like what he saw.

The legendary five-eighth was “nervous” regarding the commentary of Cleary, who he believed had all the skills needed to respond in perfect fashion.

And his concerns were clearly warranted.

“I know I was really nervous about tonight. That one team had a point to prove because they’d been criticised all between Game II and Game III,” Lockyer explained.

“The other team wanted to win for everyone here in Queensland, but Cleary was also criticised or questioned around whether he could dominate Origin and win a decider in Brisbane.

“So I was always mindful of that individual as well because he had a point to prove and he’s gone out and done it tonight and won the man of the match.

“So everyone keeps talking about this. The last bit that he needs to do. Well, he’s done it.”

Sam Walker was considered the favourite for the award heading into Game III, given his performances in the first two games of the series.

However, both Cleary and Walker had taken home the man of the match awards in the first two games of the series, and the man in blue came out on top.

He scored the first try of the decider with a brutal charge, sliding his way over the line.

His second came from some brilliance from Stephen Crichton and Mark Mawaqanitawase, who combined to create space for Cleary to score on the inside.

Cleary also finished the clash with a linebreak, a linebreak assist, four tackle breaks, 36 running metres, 24 tackles and 139 kicking metres.

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