Cleary’s bittersweet win after injury disaster; PNG’s big $5m move — NRL Daily

Nathan Cleary has had a bittersweet victory after his disastrous ankle injury, with the champion halfback unveiled as the 2026 Players’ Champion.

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The Rugby League Players Association announced the prestigious award, which was voted by fellow NRL players, with the Penrith great also winning it in 2020.

It caps a dream year for Cleary, who won the Wally Lewis Medal as the best player in the State of Origin series, as well as the Brad Fittler Medal at the NSW Blues night of nights.

He is odds on to win his first Dally M Medal on Wednesday night after an incredible season with Penrith, although it’s unclear how he will accept the award given he has two serious injuries.

Cleary beat out a field of 68 to be crowned the Players’ Champion ahead of fellow finalists Erin Clark, Herbie Farnworth, Haumole Olakau’atu and four-time winner James Tedesco.

He is just the third player to win the award multiple times.

“On behalf of the RLPA, I congratulate Nathan Cleary on being voted by his peers as their Players’ Champion for 2026,” RLPA chief executive Clint Newton said.

“Throughout this season, for club and state, Nathan has consistently played at a level even beyond his high standards.

“To now be a multiple-time winner alongside James Tedesco and Johnathan Thurston is a massive honour and credit to Nathan’s ability, professionalism, relentlessness and toughness.

“The expectations on Nathan are always very high. But in 2026 he showed once again that he can carry that pressure and produce quality performance after quality performance.

“Defined by his toughness as a halfback, Nathan’s all-round game has been astounding this year. Whether it be setting up tries or line breaks, or his tactical and attacking kicking game, Nathan has been on another level in 2026.

“We proudly recognise Nathan Cleary as the Players’ Champion for 2026. He is a phenomenal and gifted player, a great leader and a quality human. These are some of the reasons why Nathan is such a respected player across the game and by his peers.

“Rugby league should be very proud to have him as one of the stars of our game.”

The award is bittersweet for Cleary, who left Accor Stadium in an ambulance and required emergency surgery on Sunday night as a result of a hip-drop tackle.

Cleary suffered a compound fracture of the ankle, with the four-time premiership winner also nursing a broken right foot that he suffered two weeks earlier.

“I just want to send my thoughts to Nathan and his family after sustaining a brutal injury in the preliminary final,” Newton said.

“I wish you all the best in your recovery and we know you will fight your way back on the playing field as soon as you can.”

Veteran playmaker Daly Cherry-Evans says it was “really difficult” to watch Nathan Cleary suffer a catastrophic injury in Sunday’s preliminary final, with the Roosters star sending his love and thoughts to Cleary’s family.

THE SIGHT THE LEFT DCE UNCOMFORTABLE

The Panthers superstar suffered a compound fracture of the ankle after his foot was trapped in a Phoenix Crossland hip-drop tackle that saw the Knights hooker sent off.

Cleary’s foot was facing the wrong way, with players from both sides lending their support as he was taken from the field on a medi-cab.

Cherry-Evans and Cleary played a couple of games together for Australia at the 2022 World Cup, while they’ve had some memorable battles over the years at club level and in the Origin arena.

The legendary playmaker was shattered to see the Panthers champion carted from the field and said it was equally difficult seeing Ivan Cleary and the rest of his family try to process things while he also had to coach a preliminary final.

“Of the parts that I did see of that game yesterday, that was one of them. It was really difficult to watch,” Cherry-Evans said.

“I’m sending out all my love to him and his recovery process. I hope it goes really smoothly.

“I watch it through the lens sometimes as a dad, and watching his dad up in the coach’s box, I just could not believe how he would be able to sit there, compose himself and coach a side when his son has just had a pretty rough injury.

“That’s where my thoughts go; I think that’s not just tough on Nathan, but really tough on his family. I definitely send all my love out to him and the family.”

Cleary had emergency surgery on Sunday night and will miss the upcoming World Cup, with fears the injury will take several months to recover from given the traumatic nature of the bone piercing through the skin.

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But is has since emerged that Cleary’s other foot was already broken after he hurt it in the qualifying final win over the Roosters a fortnight earlier.

The club was coy on the severity and ended up naming him to start on the bench, with Cleary coming on after 25 minutes to replace Jack Cogger.

Panthers legend Greg Alexander defended the decision to bring Cleary on when they did, with some calls for the halfback to only play if the minor premiers were chasing points at the end.

“Why would you keep him on ice?” Alexander asked on SEN.

“If he got through a training session, why would you roll the dice and go ‘Oh we might win when you’ve got Nathan on the bench’.

“I agree, keep him out of the opening 20 minutes, you’re not going to lose the game in the opening 20 minutes. You’re not going to win it either.

“And I thought he was only on the field for 10 minutes, so 26th minute to the 36th minute. I thought he was playing well and didn’t look like he was affected by the foot.”

Cleary is expected to win his first Dally M Medal on Wednesday night after he claimed the Brad Fittler and Wally Lewis Medals for leading NSW to a famous State of Origin series victory.

PNG’S BIG $5M COUP... AND WHY LUAI DILEMMA ISN’T AN ISSUE

PNG has secured Coca Cola as a premier partner for the club’s inaugural season, with the iconic brand to feature prominently on the Chiefs’ playing sleeves when they enter the NRL in 2028.

The Chiefs announced a three-year deal with Bank South Pacific earlier this month and have now linked up with Coca Cola Europacific Partners Papua New Guinea on a three-year deal that AAP reports is worth more than $5 million in total.

Of course, only complicating matters is the fact marquee recruit Jarome Luai was officially unveiled last month as the face of Pepsi in Papua New Guinea.

But Chiefs CEO Lorna McPherson told AAP the club has no issue with Luai’s links to Coca Cola’s biggest competition in the soft drink market.

“Situations happen where individual players have commercial relationships with one brand that can sit alongside the club’s partnerships,” McPherson told the publication.

“Jarome’s deal with Pepsi is an individual endorsement, it has nothing to do with the PNG Chiefs at all. They can’t use the Chiefs’ brand.

“Coke’s partnership is with us and the PNG Chiefs.

“It’s completely different contracts with different parameters, and clear directives on how each brand can operate ... Pepsi is clear on that and so is coke.”

The Chiefs said in a statement that the move would allow them to “further strengthen their connection with the fans and communities across the country”.

“As a club, we’re incredibly pleased to welcome Coca-Cola Europacific Partners on

board in a partnership which reflects the ambitions of both organisations and the scale

of the opportunity that exists for us in Papua New Guinea,” McPherson said.

“Coca-Cola is one of the most recognisable brands in the world and to have CCEP

partner with the club is a powerful endorsement of what we are building.”

BIG WIN AFTER KNIGHTS FANS AFTER TRAIN CHAOS

Peter V’landys to the rescue.

Just days after officially being appointed as the NRL’s first executive chairman, V’landys has quickly got to work by securing a big win for Newcastle fans ahead of Sunday’s grand final.

V’landys called NSW Premier Chris Minns on Monday morning according to the Sydney Morning Herald and has successfully had planned trackwork between Newcastle and Wyong on Sunday postponed.

Knights fans already had to contend with delayed travel on the train network ahead of the Panthers game when an issue with a freight train at Warnervale halted services.

Then, it was revealed that there were plans for buses to replace trains between Newcastle and Wyong on grand final day. Under the previous plan, trains would run between Wyong and Central but some would be to a changed timetable.

That, however, was scrapped with the scheduled works moved to another day.

“Chris Minns is one of the most can-do people you’ll ever see,” V’landys told the Herald.

“If it’s possible, he’ll get it done. And he wasn’t going to let 30,000-plus Newcastle fans down, so he immediately rearranged the trackwork.

“The NRL and Newcastle fans cannot be more appreciative of that action.”

RADLEY’S HILARIOUS $14,000 REVEAL

Roosters enforcer Victor Radley has jokingly asked NRL executive chairman Peter V’landys for a payment plan to help with all of his fines, but he’ll gladly fork out $3000 for his latest infringement because it means he gets to play in Sunday’s grand final.

Radley was placed on report for a hip-drop tackle in Friday’s preliminary final win over the Dolphins but avoided a ban after he was hit with a grade 1 dangerous contact charge.

While Roosters fans fretted on Friday, Radley got a good night’s sleep before he received a call at 9am on Saturday to tell him the good news.

“I spoke to Robbo (Roosters coach Trent Robinson) and Aubo (football director Mitchell Aubusson) after the game and I think we all thought it was just going to be a fine,” he said.

“I didn’t think we were too worried, so I slept all right, but it was good to get the phone call sorted in the morning.

“I get a phone call from either Aubo or James Hansen (senior football operations co-ordinator) all the time and often it’s like ‘ah, another fine, another $3000, another $3000’.

“I’ve had about $14,000 worth of fines built up. I’ve got to speak to V’landys about that actually. I need to get it postponed because I’ve had too many fines this year, so I can’t afford it right now.

“But this one I was happy to hear it was $3000 rather than a week.”

Radley’s availability for the grand final is a huge boost for the Roosters after he scored a try and set up another in the win over the Dolphins.

The club is also hopeful that Connor Watson will be free to play after he was forced out of the contest following a category 1 diagnosis by the independent doctor following a head knock in the first half.

He is yet to officially be granted an exemption to avoid the mandatory 11-day stand-down, with Watson likely to come on for Radley in the grand final to provide some punch through the middle either side of halftime.

As for Radley, this latest fine is just another monetary hit for the representative forward who was banned for 10 matches without pay and donated $30,000 to St Vincent’s Hospital last year for an off-field incident.

“Most of my pay is going to be gone with this next thing and I actually need to have a word to someone about putting me on a payment plan or something because I actually can’t afford it right now,” he said.

“I’m still paying off the fine from the end of last year to be honest with you.

“It’s no one’s fault but my own, but still, it’s beating me down to my knees right now.

“But who cares, let’s get the win and then I’m not going to care about money because money’s not everything.”

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