Cleary calling on Kiwi 'superhero' to help end Warriors' fairytale

Nathan Cleary will call on the advice of Kiwi “superhero” Dan Carter as he prepares to go head-to-head with another childhood idol when the Panthers host the Warriors in Saturday’s qualifying final.

Cleary, who lived in New Zealand and idolised star halfback Shaun Johnson while his father coached the Warriors, remains in contact with Carter after spending time with the former All Blacks great earlier in the year.

Carter is the greatest points scorer in international rugby union history after scoring 1598 points in 112 Tests, and he has helped Cleary with his kicking technique and mental preparation this season.

“We talk here and there, which is cool, but I try not to fan boy too hard and bug him because growing up in New Zealand he was just someone you looked up to and he sort of seemed like a superhero,” Cleary told NRL.com.

“Even until I got to meet him, I still saw him in that sort of light, so I was sort of nervous but it was a great experience and great to just have a kick with him and pick his brain.

“I really enjoyed it and hopefully I’ll get to catch up with him again soon."

The Kangaroos halfback has this season changed his goal kicking practice routine to a more structured program in which he plans out his targets for each day of the week.

In the past Cleary would kick from anywhere on the field and keep kicking until he was satisfied, regardless of how long the session took but he now limits his time practicing.

“I think mindset is just as important as the physical aspect of kicking, and also playing,” Cleary said.

“He spoke about that and what he used to do, and there were a lot of things around preparation and processes. He was very big on that. It was interesting to talk to him about that, it’s something I value highly too, so that was cool.”

With Ivan, the Panthers coach, playing for the Warriors from 2000 to 2003 and coaching the club from 2006 to the 2011 grand final, Nathan began his junior playing career at Mt Albert and Johnson was his hero.

Cleary asked Johnson for a photo together after playing against him for the first time in 2016 and he has closely followed his career revival this season with the Warriors.

“Shaun was probably my favourite player when he first came on the scene, just with what he was able to do,” Cleary said.

“I think I enjoyed watching him so much because he was just able to do things that I would never be able to do. He was just a freak, so to see him perform so well has been really good and I've really enjoyed watching him this year.

“I think he's just grown in his game; he probably doesn't have the sort of speed that he had early on, but he's developed in other areas, and he has had one of his best years so it's cool to be coming up against him in a big game.”

The winner of Saturday's finals clash at BlueBet Stadium advances to the preliminary final in two weeks, while the loser host the winner of the Knights-Raiders elimination play-off next weekend.

Cleary said he hoped to see the Warriors build on their most successful season since Ivan and Johnson combined to steer the club to the 2011 grand final but there would be no sentiment when they meet on Saturday.

"I've always had a soft spot for the Warriors and it's been really cool what they've been able to do this year, and the support they've been able to generate, obviously after tough times where they hadn't been able to play at home," he said.

"They obviously made a great sacrifice for the rest of the comp by moving over to Australia, but they are back there now and it’s great seeing the crowds they are getting.

“It's a constant tug of war between union and league over there, and union gets a lot of love, but it's good to see league taking over this year.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for what they've been able to do and it's been enjoyable to watch, but we’re hoping they don't play that well this week."