Penrith Panthers and Sydney Roosters legend Brad Fittler has recounted one of his earliest memories of Nathan Cleary as a two-year-old.
Speaking on Nine’s Sunday Footy Show, Fittler recounted the moment a little over 20 years ago when Clearly was kicking off a tee in father Ivan’s lounge.
“I was at his house when he was two and three, fair dinkum, and he was kicking off a tee at that age in Ivan’s lounge room, just sitting there catching balls,” Fittler said.
“This little kid, he was tiny, kicking balls off a tee.”
Fittler hailed Cleary’s sheer dedication to the art of being a No.7 from the outset.
“He started young and just hasn’t gone away from the fact that you need to be able to practice but then hold the nerve under pressure and concentrate and focus,” Fittler added.
“It’s easy to do one of them, doing both of them, that’s the art.”
Paul Gallen also weighed in on Cleary’s ability ahead of the winner-takes-all final against the Brisbane Broncos.
“I was watching a video last night on Nathan Cleary, the amount of practice and time and effort he puts into everything is amazing,” said Gallen.
“When you have a guy who’s at the top of his game and does so well – and you see how much he practices, how much time and effort he puts into things, you can’t help but just commend them on what they’re doing.”