NSW Blues halfback Nathan Cleary has been named man of the match in the State of Origin Game 3, with the halfback winning in a decider for the first time in his career.
Cleary came with intent to Suncorp Stadium, playing a running and eyes-up style of footy that saw him score the first two tries of the game.
The champion Penrith number seven came into the game under plenty of pressure.
Despite his efforts for the Panthers where he has won four straight premierships, he has often been ridiculed for his performances at Origin level.
The two tries were just the tip of the iceberg for Cleary though, who played fantastic footy during the contest at both ends of the park, and then also stepped up to ice the game with a penalty goal from 40 metres out and to the right of the posts.
Kicking another four conversions, Cleary finished the game with 18 of the Blues' 30 points, ran the ball 9 times for 48 metres, and added 5 tackle busts while he also kicked for 120 metres and made 24 tackles with just a single miss.
