Nathan Cleary sends brutal message to Melbourne Storm as fans erupt over epic NRL display

Nathan Cleary has put the Melbourne Storm on notice with a clinical display in his first game back alongside halves partner Jarome Luai since round 10. The two-time Dally M medallist scored three tries and set up two more to lift Penrith to a dominant 46-10 win over St George Illawarra, in a display that showcased the Panthers' premiership credentials.

Cleary's clinic helped the visitors stay within four points of Melbourne at the top of the table and left the Dragons out of the eight for at least another week. And with the Panthers' preferred halves pairing purring again, it was clear runaway leaders Melbourne have some serious competition for the 2024 NRL premiership.

The Panthers are gearing up for a shot at a historic fourth straight premiership. And while the conventional thought throughout this season was that Penrith had to be the favourites to take it out again, Melbourne have been the standout performers this year. However, even without Cleary, the Panthers have been a constant in the NRL top four and with their star playmaker returning it's clear they are the team to beat yet again.

On Sunday, Cleary was at the centre of everything good for the Panthers. After kicking a golden-point field goal on return from a hamstring injury against the Dolphins, with Luai back by his side, he and Penrith looked a tier above the rest.

Jesse McLean got the Panthers on the board before Cleary put Liam Martin through a hole close to the line for their second. The halfback then showed his class and NRL IQ by fooling Dragons defenders on the last tackle. Cleary faked to kick and jinked back to the short side, putting Daine Laurie through a gap on the right edge before looming up on his inside to score. Minutes later he then dummied and stepped between Ben Hunt and Raymond Faitala-Mariner to score his second and make it 22-0 inside 30 minutes.

The Panthers No.7 then completed his hat-trick in the second half when he and Luai linked up. And following the match NRL fans couldn't believe just how good Cleary looked in just his second game back from injury, with many believing the Panthers are in pole position to win a historic fourth straight grand final.

Shane Flanagan's brutal admission after Panthers defeat

Following the Dragons' 46-10 flogging at the hands of Penrith on Saturday, Shane Flanagan conceded St George Illawarra on that performance don't deserve to make finals. In front of their first sold-out crowd in Wollongong in 17 years, the Dragons turned in arguably their worst performance of 2024 against the three-time defending premiers.

Out of the contest from the opening frame, the Dragons were repeatedly carved open by Cleary as the halfback ran riot with three tries and two assists. The Red V are not the first team to be dismantled by Cleary this year and they probably won't be the last, but their finals hopes are now in serious jeopardy.

While the Dragons could have entered the top eight with a win, they instead are out of a finals position with just six weeks to go. And they face a torrid next fortnight, playing Melbourne in Melbourne next Saturday night before facing the in-form Canterbury the following week. "It's a race to the semis. We don't deserve to be there if we don't pick our act up and play better than we did today," Flanagan said.

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"It was probably the worst performance of the year for us, with the circumstances around it. Really disappointing, it was a big day, beautiful day playing against the premiers. We got off to a really bad start. Everything they did well, we didn't do."

with AAP