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Brisbane Broncos star Reece Walsh has taken a cheeky swipe at Panthers playmaker Nathan Cleary ahead of their preliminary final showdown at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
When asked by a reporter how the Broncos were going to handle Cleary, Walsh hit back with a question of his own.
'How does he deal with us?' Walsh replied with a smirk.
'It's exciting. He's a world class player and if you give him an opportunity, he's going to take it.
'It's like the same as us. If they give us opportunities, we're going to take it.
'I guess it's just trying to minimise (Cleary's talent) and I'm looking forward to the challenge.'
Reece Walsh (pictured) has taken a cheeky swipe at Panthers playmaker Nathan Cleary
Nathan Cleary is shaping as the key player of this year's NRL finals
The last time Cleary lost a day game, COVID-19 didn't exist and the jury was still out on whether he and his father Ivan could work as a duo.
Fast forward six years and the pandemic has passed, the Clearys are the No.1 father-son duo of all time and Penrith are the new kings of daytime football.
Conventional wisdom should suggest the NRL's move to a Sunday afternoon preliminary final will play into Brisbane's hands this weekend.
Temperatures are tipped to reach 30C at Suncorp Stadium, and fast football in dry conditions should help the Broncos unlock Walsh.
Penrith are renowned for being a meticulous side that wears teams down with a death by a thousand cuts, but their record in just about any conditions is impressive.
It's a reason why they are gunning for a fifth straight premiership over the next fortnight.
But as evidenced in Sunday's first-half demolition of Canterbury, the Panthers are particularly lethal in the day.
Since losing to Canberra on a Sunday afternoon in late July of 2019, Penrith have lost just three of the 38 day matches they have played.
Cleary was in excellent form against the Bulldogs last weekend
Cleary's returns are even greater, having won all 26 of the day matches he has played, missing Penrith's 2024 losses to the Warriors, North Queensland and Canberra.
Included in those victories was Penrith's 32-8 win over Brisbane at Magic Round this year, where Cleary repeated his heroics of the 2023 grand final success.
'I've heard people talk about it in the past few days,' Penrith hooker Mitch Kenny said.
'(Daytime football) probably gets the best out of everyone's attack, so on the other side of the coin it will probably bring the best out of the Broncos.
'But I feel like playing a 4pm Sunday against the Bulldogs was really good preparation for that. So we'll be ready.'
