Cleary is not known for being flamboyant or showing excessive emotion on the field. It was only last year that Latrell Mitchell called on more NRL players to entertain and show off their personalities.
Luai laughed at suggestions Cleary was arrogant.
Isaah Yeo and his Penrith teammates struggled to crack the St Helens defence for most of the match.Credit:Getty
“Hell no, that’s my boy,” he said.
“It’s outside noise, we love him for who he is, and what he’ll continue to do for our team and our club. We will always be the talk of the town, especially when you stuff up.
“It’s pretty crazy, not many of us have been in trouble with the cops or anything like that, but to see the amount of attention we get ... we’ll keep our heads on and keep focused, we have a great connection out there between each other; we keep each other grounded. We know what to filter in and what to filter out.”
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Cleary will shoulder even more responsibility for Penrith’s attack this season following the departure of star hooker Api Koroisau to Wests Tigers. Luai said it was his responsibility to take the pressure off Cleary and new rake Mitch Kenny.
“I have to step up, and with more experience under my belt, I need to take pressure off Mitch and Nath, get my hands on the ball and run the footy, because that’s my strength,” he said.
Plenty of Panthers will strip fitter for the first-up hitout, while several experienced players, including Dylan Edwards and Liam Martin, are still to return.
Phil Gould predicted the World Club Challenge would be a blowout and Penrith “could declare by half-time”. Those words were not lost on Saints players.
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“[Make that] 1-0 Gus, it’s your fault, mate,” Luai said. “That was a bit of banter. It was funny. They got the silverware at the end of the day. They’re a really good team.”
Speaking for the first time about his brief moment in the limelight over the summer after a colourful best man’s speech at Brian To’o’s wedding, Luai also said: “We were a bit intoxicated. That’s what weddings are for, I enjoyed it.
“Obviously, I had regrets the next day, and I apologised to his family and the bride’s family. But me and my boy, we are sweet. We had a good laugh about it.“