Read the complete write-up of Nathan Cleary net worth, salary, biography, age, height, family, parents, wife, children as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Nathan Cleary is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a halfback and is the co-captain of the Penrith Panthers in the NRL. He is also best known as the son of the professional rugby league footballer and his current coach, Ivan Cleary.
At the representative level, he has played for City Origin and New South Wales in the State of Origin series.
Biography
| Name | Nathan Cleary |
| Net Worth | $3 million |
| Profession | Rugby player |
| Height | 1.73m (Weight 92kg) |
| Age | 24 years |
Nathan Cleary was born on November 14, 1997 (age 24 years) in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He spent a number of his childhood years living in Auckland, New Zealand while his father Ivan Cleary was playing for, and later coaching, the New Zealand Warriors. His mother is Rebecca Cleary.
Having grown up playing soccer, Cleary switched to rugby league during his pre-teens, playing at a junior level for the Mount Albert Lions in Auckland and the Penrith Brothers in Sydney. He completed his HSC while attending St Dominic’s College, Penrith in 2015, where he was a prefect in the school.
Nathan Cleary is of Croatian descent. He is the nephew of Josh Stuart and Jason Death. He previously held a New Zealand passport.
Early career
Nathan Cleary progressed through the Penrith club’s junior system, playing in their Harold Matthews Cup (under 16) and S. G. Ball Cup (under 18) teams, the latter of which he captained in 2015. Cleary appeared for the Windsor Wolves in the Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield in a handful of games, before being called into Penrith’s National Youth Competition (under 20) squad mid-season.
He was unavailable to play in Penrith’s 2015 NYC Grand Final winning team due to his selection in the Australian Schoolboys team, whom he captained during their two-match series against New Zealand under-18s.
Penrith Panthers
Starting the season as Penrith’s first-choice halfback in the NYC, Cleary was selected to play for the Junior Kangaroos against the Junior Kiwis in May, where he played at five-eighth scoring a try and kicking 5 goals in the 34-20 win. He made his New South Wales Cup debut for the Penrith club in round 11, the only game he’d play in that competition in 2016.
On 2 June, Cleary extended his contract with the Panthers until the end of the 2019 season; his decision to do so voided a ‘father-son clause in his contract, which would have allowed him to leave the club following his father’s dismissal as Penrith’s head coach late the previous year, had he so pleased.
Two days after the signing, in round 13, Cleary made his NRL debut for the Penrith Panthers against the Melbourne Storm at five-eighth. Despite a 6-24 defeat at AAMI Park, Cleary had a great debut; making 38 tackles. The next week against the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Cleary scored his first NRL try, as well as kicking five goals in Penrith’s 31-24 win at Brookvale Oval. Following a man of the match performance against the South Sydney Rabbitohs in round 15, The Daily Telegraph said of Cleary: “[it’s] hard to believe he is only 18 playing his third NRL game. Composed under pressure, kicked well and supported inside for a crucial second-half try.”
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After the departure of seasoned half Jamie Soward and Peter Wallace shifting to hooker, Nathan Cleary remained at halfback for the rest of the season. He was in the race for the rookie of the year award but lost to the Gold Coast Titans halfback, Ashley Taylor. He finished his debut season with 3 tries and 52 goals from 15 matches. He was the Penrith club’s highest point-scorer with 116 points. Cleary was rewarded with being named in the emerging NSW Blues squad.
Nathan Cleary was named in Penrith’s squad for the 2017 NRL Auckland Nines. On 1 May, Cleary was named in the NSW City Origin representative team to play in the last ever City vs Country game.
Cleary finished the season as the highest point scorer in the NRL with a total of 228 points, the youngest player to achieve this since 1913. He played in all 26 games for the Penrith club, scoring 11 tries and kicking 92 goals. Cleary also became the youngest player ever to score 200 points in a season.
Cleary started the 2018 season as possibly the NRL’s form player before suffering a knee injury in Round 3 against Canterbury-Bankstown where Penrith lost 20-18 at ANZ Stadium. While he was out with the injury, Cleary was still leading in contention for the halfback spot for New South Wales. Cleary made his return to the field in Round 11 against his father’s team the Wests Tigers, where he helped steer the Penrith club to a 16-2 victory at Penrith Stadium.
In his next performance in Round 12 against table-toppers the St George Illawarra Dragons, Cleary earned his spot in the New South Wales squad after a fine match, scoring a try as Penrith won convincingly 28-2 at Penrith Stadium. On 6 June 2018, Cleary made his debut for New South Wales in Game 1 of the 2018 State of Origin series against Queensland, starting at halfback in the 22-12 win at the MCG. Later that week, he kicked the match-winning field goal in Penrith’s 23–22 win over Canberra at GIO Stadium. He played in all 3 Origin games that year for the Blues at halfback.
In the opening rounds of the 2019 season, Cleary had been criticized by sections of the media and fans for Penrith’s underwhelming start to the season. In Round 4, Cleary kicked a goal from the sideline after the final siren to send their game against the Wests Tigers into extra time. Cleary then kicked a 40-metre field goal to win the game for Penrith 9-8.
On 27 May, Cleary was selected at halfback for New South Wales in Game 1 of the 2019 State of Origin series despite his lacklustre start to the year and with Penrith only managing 2 wins from their first 9 games. Despite New South Wales losing the first game, Cleary was retained for the second game in Perth which New South Wales won 38-6 at Perth Stadium.
In Round 18 against St George, Cleary scored a try and kicked 6 goals as Penrith won the match 40-18 at Penrith Park.
In round 25, the final game of the year, Cleary scored 4 tries and kicked 9 goals in their 54-10 victory over Newcastle. In this game, Cleary scored 34 points to have the 2nd most points scored in a single game in the NRL. Cleary put on a master class despite this game having no impact on the finals as Penrith finished a disappointing 10th.
In round 12, Cleary scored one try and kicked seven goals as Penrith defeated Manly 42–12 at Brookvale Oval. In the 2020 qualifying final against the Sydney Roosters, Cleary scored a hat-trick and kicked a field goal in Penrith’s 29–28 victory.
Nathan Cleary played a total of 21 games for Penrith in the 2020 NRL season including the grand final. He threw a pass in the first half of the match which was intercepted by Melbourne winger Suliasi Vunivalu who raced away to score a try at a pivotal moment in the game but scored a last-minute try and kicked two goals in the 26–20 loss.
Cleary was selected by New South Wales for the 2020 State of Origin series. He played poorly in the game 1 loss, with Andrew Johns calling for him to be dropped. Roy Masters said, “Cleary has a weakness and the Maroons have identified it. Cleary’s below-par performances in the NRL grand final and the first State of Origin match are directly related to the pressure imposed on his kicking game.”
He was awarded man of the match in game 2 of the series, where he was praised for his exceptional kicking game, but another loss in game 3 saw a shock 2-1 series defeat. He said after, “2020 as a whole has been a roller coaster, really. I’ve ridden the highs and lows. I’ve lost some pretty big games in the last month.”
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In round 10 of the 2021 NRL season, Cleary scored a hat-trick and kicked eight goals in Penrith’s 48-12 victory over the Gold Coast. The following week, Cleary scored two tries and kicked ten goals in Penrith’s 56-12 victory over South Sydney.
On 30 May, Cleary was selected by New South Wales for game one of the 2021 State of Origin series. Cleary kicked eight goals for New South Wales in the opening game of the series as they defeated Queensland 50-6.
Wife
Nathan Cleary is currently not married, he is in a private relationship. However, on 28 April 2020, Cleary was fined $10,000 after breaking protocols during the Coronavirus pandemic. Cleary was pictured at his home with a group of women on ANZAC Day and the photo was uploaded to social media. Cleary later apologized to the Penrith club and his teammates over the incident. Cleary only got himself into more trouble when a video of him dancing with the women emerged, thus bringing the validity of his apology into question. For lying about the incident, Cleary was hit with a 2-match ban as well as a $30,000 fine. It then emerged that Cleary lied about the girls visiting his house and actually went to pick them up.
Nathan Cleary net worth
What is Nathan Cleary net worth? Nathan Cleary net worth is estimated at around $3 million. His salary is $960,000, he is one of the richest rugby players in Australia under 30. However, on 30 June, it was announced Cleary would be unable to play for an indefinite period after suffering a shoulder injury. In round 22, he made his return to the Penrith team in a 34-16 victory over St. George Illawarra. On 27 September, Cleary was named Dally M Halfback of the year.