Cleary, Nathan (1997-…), is an Australian rugby player. He plays in the National Rugby League (NRL) as a halfback. The halfback, also known as a scrum half, is a ball-handling position that links plays between rugby forwards and backs. Cleary is known for his strong kick and ability to score goals. In 2017, he became the youngest NRL player ever to score 200 points in a season. 
Cleary was born on Nov. 14, 1997, in Sydney, in the Australian state of New South Wales. He grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. His father, Ivan Cleary, was a former NRL player who became an NRL coach. Nathan Cleary grew up playing soccer, despite his father’s success at rugby. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Nathan only began playing rugby as a teenager. His family moved back to New South Wales in 2012, when Ivan was hired as the head coach for the Penrith Panthers.
Nathan Cleary attended St. Dominic’s College in Sydney while playing for Penrith’s junior rugby team. He graduated in 2015. Cleary chose to stay with the Penrith club system and joined the Panthers, though his father was no longer coaching the team. Also in 2015, he was chosen as captain of the Australian Schoolboys, the national junior rugby squad.
Cleary debuted in the NRL in 2016, with the Panthers. He ended his first year in the league as the Panthers’ highest point-scorer. In 2018, Cleary made his debut in the State of Origin series, an annual rugby competition between Queensland and New South Wales. He represented New South Wales.
In 2021, Cleary helped lead Penrith to victory in the Grand Final, the championship match of the NRL. He was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal for being judged the best player during the match. Also in 2021, Cleary made his debut in international rugby, representing Australia in the Rugby League World Cup. The Panthers, including Cleary, won the Grand Final again in 2022 and 2023. Cleary won the Clive Churchill Medal again in 2023.
