When Nathan Cleary went down injured in the first ten minutes during Penriths clash against Melbourne many fans assumed they lost all hope at winning the game. However, Isaah Yeo stepped up as he has done many times before to play the crucial first receiver role as he put the team on his back and lead them to an almost impossible victory. Whilst the Panthers fell short on the night, Isaah Yeo showed his leadership, versatility and all round talent which has established him as one of the games biggest stars. Isaah Yeo may not be the flashiest player or attract the same media attention as his co-captain Nathan Cleary, but if fans were asked to pick one or the other it might just be a 50/50 split.

Nathan Cleary is probably the biggest name in rugby league, at 27 years old he has player 175 games for the Panthers, 14 times for NSW and 5 times for Australia. Obviously he has picked up four-straight NRL premierships as well as two Clive Churchill medals. He has stood up repeatedly in big games to clinch victory and hasn’t taken a backwards step in his career since making his debut in 2016. He was the youngest player to ever score 200 points in a single season and currently sits 18th on the all time NRL point scorer charts. Cleary has come through the ranks with the heavy weight of expectation, he was captain of the Australian schoolboys side in 2015 and being one of the most highly regarded rookies of his generation. With all that being said, he has gone on to achieve nearly every possible feat in the game and still has a lot left in the tank.

Isaah Yeo has hard a slightly different career trajectory, but no one could doubt his legacy now. Yeo has always played for the Panthers and has represented them 248 times, but didn’t break through in the same was as his current co-captain Nathan Cleary. Yeo initially played off the bench, at centre and in the second row and it wasn’t really until 2019 that he transitioned to his preferred lock position. There genuinely isn’t another player in the game that can play the 13 position in the same way, he has the ball playing ability of a half but the physicality of a front rower with a massive engine to keep going over 80 minutes. Yeo is a true unicorn of a player in the NRL and it is no surprise he was won the Dally M lock of the year award on four occasions.

Given the way that they compliment each other, it is hard to say who will be regarded as the better player once it is all said and done. One way of answering the question of who is better could be considering which player suffers more when the other isn’t on the field. Arguably, Nathan Cleary benefits from having Yeo alongside him more than Isaah Yeo needs Cleary to perform at his best. Remarkably, Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo have played together on 180 occasions with a win rate over 70%. Both have been absolutely vital to the Panthers dynasty and when they retire they might just be considered the most successful duo in the modern NRL era.