Blaize Talagi grows from boy to man at Panthers: Cleary

Scott Bailey and Jasper Bruce | March 27, 2026

Nathan Cleary has seen Blaize Talagi come of age as a man and footballer in 12 months playing for NRL powerhouse Penrith.

It’s been a little more than a year since Talagi made his club debut after arriving from Parramatta, the side he and the Panthers will face on Saturday night.

He loomed as the most-anticipated external signing of the Panthers’ premiership dynasty, but Talagi was made to bide his time learning Penrith’s systems before finally earning a first start at five-eighth in round six.

A round-10 draw with North Queensland was a breakthrough game for Jarome Luai’s successor, who grew in tandem with the Panthers during their rollercoaster 2025 season.

The current campaign has begun on surer footing for undefeated Penrith, with Talagi the architect on a left edge that has scored nine tries in three games so far.

Ahead of a third meeting with his old club, the five-eighth has developed in more ways than one, according to Cleary.

“I was just looking at a photo of him inside, just his face has changed. He’s sort of turned into a man now, he’s turned 21,” he said.

“Just his development in terms of what’s needed in a game has gotten really good.”

Talagi is prized for his ball-running and passing game, but Cleary has seen big developments in his defence, a cornerstone of the Panthers’ premiership-winning ethos.

“He’s really started to value that,” Cleary said.

“That gets him in the game. He’s quite a physical, big body. Then his attack and his combination with Casey (McLean) and Milky (Tom Jenkins) out there is really flourishing.”

Working with Talagi has been a change for Cleary, whose four-time premiership-winning co-pilot Luai had been a teammate since high school.

Cleary, now 28, has enjoyed his mentoring role.

“He’s really attentive, he really wants to learn but also he’s just got this confidence where nothing really rattles him,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say it’s so much teaching him subtleties because we’re such different players, but just our combination and how that gels is something that we put a lot of work into and we’ll continue to do so.”

Saturday’s clash is the Panthers’ first this season at CommBank Stadium, where they will continue playing home games until Penrith Stadium’s refurbishment finishes in time for the 2027 campaign.

The Panthers lost their first three games at their adoptive home last season but are feeling more assured this season.

“We probably underestimated how different it would be at the start of last season but towards the end of the season we started to play some really good footy there,” Cleary said.