It’s the little things that make co-captains Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo such great players and inspirational leaders.
Most people think it’s only the big plays that define a champion player. The jaw-dropping tackles, clutch plays and ‘oohh ahh’ moments that make a player stand out.
But it’s more than that.
Most people also think that to be a great leader you need to have the loudest voice and give the most inspirational speeches.
But that’s only part of it.
Often, it’s the little things that define us.
The little things, that go unnoticed by most supporters but not by a player’s teammates and coach, which make them so damn good.
Last Friday night against the Roosters, Nathan Cleary returned to the field in a blaze of glory. He set up several tries, kicked plenty of great bombs all the while barking orders to his teammates while guiding them around the paddock, like a good leader should.
However, it was the little things which make him truly great.
After being tackled a few metres out from the Roosters tryline, he quickly played the ball and a split second after the ball cleared the ruck, he ran backwards a few metres and re-positioned himself in the backline.
He was there to take the next pass without missing a beat. It’s like he was there the whole time.
Like he never left the line.
Meanwhile, co-captain Isaah Yeo just kept the opposition guessing every time he had the ball in his hands. He ran straight and hard when the Roosters thought he’d pass and ran right to the defensive line and passed when the Chooks thought he’d just keep running. Yeo’s stats during the game were scary and so were Cleary’s.
They were the two best players on the field not only for Penrith but from both sides.
That makes them great players.
But a simple action long after the game had finished is what makes them great leaders.
As the fans were filing out of Penrith Park for the last time and the TV coverage was winding down both players made a lap around the ground together, just to say goodbye to a ground which had been their home their entire career.
The lucky ones who stayed behind long enough to see it, gave the boys a little cheer as if they also knew what the gesture meant. They were paying their respects to the old stadium one final time. One more lap on the hallowed turf of where so many legendary players had run many times before them.
Now that’s leadership.
So I put it to you, if Jarome Luai is Robin and Nathan Cleary is Batman, then which superhero is Isaah Yeo?
Simple, he’s Superman. For that’s what he’s like when he’s on the football field. He’s virtually unstoppable.
While the team of Batman and Robin will split up next year when Luai leaves to join the Tigers, the dynamic duo of Batman and Superman will continue.
The following quote best sums up the character of both Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo.
“Good leaders deliver results. Great leaders develop people. Good leaders have vision. Great leaders have values. Good leaders are role models at work.
“Great leaders are role models…. in life.”
Peter Lang
Peter Lang is an experienced sports writer, who has been covering rugby league for several decades. He first wrote Lang on League for the Weekender in the 1990s, and worked for Panthers on its famous Panthers Magazine for several years.