Dubbo junior Isaah Yeo hailed the performance of Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary after the Panthers won through to an NRL preliminary final on Friday night.
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After five weeks out through suspension, Cleary delivered a masterclass in the number seven jersey against Parramatta and powered his side to a dominant 27-8 win.
The Eels said Cleary "kicked us to death" at full-time and Yeo could only agree, stating his halfback improved the entire Panthers lineup.
"He's your star player, he's your halfback and when he's out there you can feel the confidence grow," Yeo said.
"I thought his kicking game was outstanding, he knew when to run. You could see it happening at training but to come out on the big stage and being the halfback he was always going to have that pressure on him, particularly after having that five week spell and he was the best player on the park by a mile tonight.
"He controlled it, particularly in that second half, and he was outstanding so it was nice to have him back out there tonight."
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After Parramatta defeated Penrith in the two regular season matches between the clubs this season, there was real optimism around Eels fans heading into Friday's match.
There were also questions how the Panthers would perform given Cleary had spent so much time on the sidelines while halves partner Jarome Luai was only just back from injury.
But any doubts were quickly put to bed, as a Cleary field goal have the defending premiers a 7-6 lead at the break before the halfback orchestrated a second-half demolition.
Yeo produced another consistent performance in the middle of the park, linking the attack while also running for 130m and making 36 tackles.
The result means Penrith will have next weekend off before playing for a spot in another NRL grand final.
Speaking prior to the win over Parramatta, Yeo said there was no lack of motivation within the Panthers squad despite having won the premiership a year ago.
"A lot of the boys are early 20s. They've had it so young, they just want to keep being consistent and keep being a part of that," Yeo told AAP.
"You look at people that win competitions and players are older, hardened men. They're sort of falling by the wayside.
"If you played for 10 years trying to search for a premiership and you finally get it you can probably see that relaxing the shoulders.
"But it certainly hasn't been the case for us.
"And we're confident enough as a group that we're good enough to be a part of those big games for a lot longer."
Yeo's fellow Western Rams graduate Jack Wighton also had reason to celebrate in the opening weekend of NRL finals.
Orange junior Wighton and his Canberra Raiders were sensational on Saturday when scoring a 28-20 win over Melbourne and knocking the Storm out of the competition.
The result wasn't as great for Coonamble Bears junior Jesse Ramien and Bathurst product Will Kennedy as they were beaten by the North Queensland Cowboys in a classic on Saturday night.
The Sharks lost 32-30 in a match that was decided by a Valentine Holmes two-point field goal deep into golden point extra-time.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
