Meet the 'cool' Storm star Cleary is desperate to shut down
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Ivan Cleary enjoys few things more than relaxing, switching on the TV and watching Sua Faalogo do his thing on the rugby league field.
The Storm fullback provides Cleary with a chance to release his inner fan, one of the game's smartest minds watching in awe with the rest of us as Faalogo pulls off plays few would even dare to attempt.
But this week is no regular Friday night. Cleary won't be at home with his feet up, he will be in the Penrith coaches box watching with gritted teeth as his Panthers attempt to shut down the electrifying talent.
Sua good!
"He brings people into the stands and [watching] on the TV," Cleary told reporters. "He's an electric player with an incredible ability to beat people.
"He's done some amazing things so far so hopefully we can try and reduce his impact. I have no doubt he'll come up with some pretty cool plays. If we play well and control the way we do things, hopefully we can limit him.
"There are a few others in there as well, they've got some elite talent in that team so we'll try limit that as best we can."
Match: Panthers v Storm
Round 5 -
home Team
Panthers
1st Position
away Team
Storm
7th Position
Venue: CommBank Stadium, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
Penrith will host Melbourne at CommBank Stadium on Friday night in an early showdown between two of the competition's best teams throughout the past decade.
Between them, the Storm and Panthers have won six of the last nine premierships and faced off in two grand finals. The Storm prevailed in 2020 before Cleary's men got their revenge in 2024.
Storm v Panthers – Grand Final, 2024
Remarkably, there has been just one decider in the past decade that hasn't featured Melbourne or Penrith, or both.
Unsurprisingly, Cleary and Storm coach Craig Bellamy have developed a reputation as two of the smartest minds in the game.
The pair have engaged in a number of epic battles over the years, with Bellamy holding a slight edge in the head to head record.
According to stats compiled by rugby league historian David Middleton, the Storm coach has won 21 of 39 games between the coaches, with Cleary claiming 17 and one draw.
After a slow start to 2025, Penrith have burst out of the gates this season. The Panthers are 4-0 and have dispatched their opponents with a string of dominant performances.
While the results have been built on the back of a historically great defence, the side's attack has also clicked into high gear.
Halfback Nathan Cleary and fullback Dylan Edwards have capitalised on the additional space on offer after off-season rule changes and Tom Jenkins has scored 10 tries from just four matches.
Jenkins is scoring four fun!
"We wanted to start well," Ivan Cleary said. "There were some things we were quite deliberate about in our pre-season and what we wanted to deliver when the season started.
"You're not 100% sure until you start playing but the boys have been consisten each and every day from the time pre-season started and that consistency is showing up on the field at the moment. There are things we need to improve, but so far so good."
Melbourne opened their year with two wins before losses to Brisbane and North Queensland in the last two weeks.
Amid the mixed start, Faalogo has starred for the Storm in his ascent to the No.1 jumper.
Already this season the fullback has scored seven tries, with two try assists, 27 tackle breaks and six line breaks to highlight why Storm officials have long viewed the 23-year-old as a future star.
'Benji Marshall like' - The Fa'alogo step
The Storm have endured a challenging week, with forward Tui Kamikamica suffering a stroke on Monday. The players are determined to rally around their teammate as they look to rebound on Friday night.
"There's no better time to test yourself than against Penrith," forward Josh King told reporters in Melbourne. "The form they're showing at the moment, they're back in their dynasty days.
"They've won four on the bounce and have been playing some good footy so we're looking forward to going up there. We have a real challenge on our hands and will test ourselves against probably the best team in the NRL."
