Westpac NSW Blues halfback Nathan Cleary has conceded he will carry criticism of his State of Origin record for another year after losing his third decider on Wednesday night.
The 27-year-old has swept all before him in the NRL, leading Penrith to four-straight premierships and claiming two Clive Churchill Medals along the way.
Cleary's performances in the Origin arena, however, have been mixed and he now has an 8-9 winning record with three losses in deciders.
The stats have prompted commentary regarding his inability to 'own' a State of Origin series.
Wednesday night provided a chance to silence the critics, however it was Queensland halfback Tom Dearden who outplayed his rival to claim both man-of-the-match and the Wally Lewis Medal.
Cleary was full of praise for Dearden, who put his nose in front for the Kangaroos' No.7 jersey for the upcoming Ashes series.
Tom Dearden's Game III player of the match performance
The NSW halfback concedes the criticism of his performances is fair and said he missed an opportunity to prove he can deliver in the Origin cauldron.
"At the end of the day I haven't [owned an Origin series]," Cleary said. "I'm the harshest marker of myself so I don't think what other people say is out of line because I think that of myself anyway.
"You feel like you let down the boys you played with and the state, that's what hurts the most. I let down myself, my own high standards. It's frustrating."
Match: Blues v Maroons
Game 3 -
home Team
Blues
away Team
Maroons
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
While Cleary has received plenty of criticism, the loss cannot squarely be blamed on the halfback.
The Blues struggled across the board and were beaten to the punch by a desperate Queensland team that had more energy and enthusiasm than their opponents.
Cleary, however, recognises it's his job to help turn the tide and he was emotional post-game when discussing a result he said will stick with him for the next 12 months.
Daley: We just couldn't win the moments
"That's sinking in now," Cleary said. "I just want to play again but it's not how it works. It's much like a grand final, it's the biggest game of all and if you lose it you've got to wait a whole other year to get back there.
"It's about growing from it, not trying to kick stones but growing and trying to find a place to get better. It's a frustrating thins about rugby league is you feel like you've learned lessons before but then there's always new lessons to learn.
"No one rugby league game's ever the same so it's constantly evolving. You've got to evolve you game and that's where I'm at."
Queensland's defensive gameplan involved shooting out of the line to limit Cleary's time and space with the ball.
The strategy prevented the halfback from providing clean service to his outside backs and ensured he was under pressure every time he touched the ball.
The result was a Blues attack that was clunky at times and rarely looked like breaking down a desperate Maroons defence that scrambled extremely well.
Holmes puts a huge shot on Crichton
While scoring opportunities were limited in the first half, NSW had multiple chances in the opening 15 minutes of the second before Stephen Crichton eventually scored in the corner.
Cleary conceded it took too long for the players to adjust to the Queensland tactics and hopes to carry the lessons forward into 2026.
"It's already happening in my brain at the moment, trying to work out what happened," Cleary said. "It's frustrating, I didn't adjust quick enough to their rushing defence and played into their hands a little bit.
"I'll reflect on it but I could've controlled it a little bit more and not played into that aggressive defence as much, which gave them confidence. At the end of the day, they did defend really well and put a lot of pressure on us."
That's an Origin play from Tom Dearden
Cleary is set to get his first chance to put the loss behind him when he returns to clubland for Penrith's clash with Parramatta on Sunday afternoon.
The halfback is one of five Panthers looking to back up, however Liam Martin is in doubt after suffering a wrist injury in Wednesday's match.
The quartet were all named in the extended squad on Tuesday, with coach Ivan Cleary to make a final decision in the coming days.
Winger Brian To'o carried a knee injury into the decider but expressed his desire to play on Sunday afternoon.
"I'll be ready," To'o said. "Unless my leg's broken, then I'm always going to keep putting on the jersey and keep playing."
