He broke out of the structure and it was refreshing to see. The last try, when he chipped and chased, was a rarity from him. More of that.

In many ways, he’s very close to being the complete halfback and the scary thing is he has so much more room for improvement.

The sweet spot of a playmaker’s career is usually between ages 26 and 30. Cleary is only 23. It’s incredible to think where he might be in five years time.

The Panthers simply need to keep going to the well with their left-side attack against the Broncos.

Jarome Luai, Viliame Kikau and Matt Burton, along with Stephen Crichton lurking in the background at fullback, are almost impossible to stop.

How the Broncos can win it

Coach Kevin Walters has made a big call in dropping five-eighth Anthony Milford – but it’s the right one.

Milford is not delivering in attack, and especially not in defence, and the question now is what’s next for the talented but desperately out-of-form playmaker.

It can go either way: he can throw the toys out of the cot or go back to Queensland Cup and reinvent himself. I hope he turns it around because he can be a quality player when he’s on.

The decision to pick Brodie Croft and Tom Dearden in the halves puzzles me, however.

So many questions …

How they play together, who’s the dominant player and how they combine with hooker Jake Turpin around the ruck remains to be seen. I’ve seen no attack out of dummy half from the Broncos so far.

How will they bring fullback Jamayne Isaako into play?

For me, Croft and Dearden are too similar in terms of style. Look at the best combinations in the comp – Adam Reynolds and Cody Walker, Cleary and Luai – one creates; the other organises.

Perhaps the biggest concern is their defence.

The Broncos have let in 85 points their past two matches, which is staggering because Souths were only in third gear last Thursday night.

Their defensive resolve is embarrassing for such a proud club.

I’ll say it again: they must bring back Wayne Bennett. If board members, or other people in the club, must stand down because of Bennett’s messy departure last time he was there, then so be it.

I’d also bring back Karmichael Hunt. He’s at the end of his career, but he’s a winner. He wouldn’t over-complicate his role. He’d be a running player and strong defensively, and his experience would be handy for such a young side.

My real fear, though, is I don’t know when the Broncos will come out of this current mess they find themselves in.

Player to watch

Burton’s try last week against Canberra, when he got that long ball from Luai, was something to see. He changed his angle before he got the ball. There’s only a handful of players who can do that.

To have the awareness to watch the ball coming from one angle, while also watching the defender straight ahead, is so skillful.

You need eyes like a hammerhead shark to do that – yet Burton did it with ease.

I knew Burton was a good player. I didn’t know he was this good.

It’s a little bit like Luai. At the start of last year, I couldn’t believe that Luai was the starting five-eighth for the Panthers.

Now they have Burton coming through. What a production line of young talent they have.

Joey’s playbook

Watch the magical feet of Luai, skipping across the field, getting in and out of gaps.

It will make the Broncos’ back-rowers chase him and then Luai will then turn Kikau back in, underneath him.

The key here is that Luai does it at all at speed. That will pull the defence apart, creating space for his monstrous back-rower.

Good luck stopping the Kikausaurus, Broncos.

The verdict

The Panthers by plenty. Write your own ticket.

JOEY’S TIP: Penrith by 28.
FIRST TRY-SCORER: Viliame Kikau
MAN OF THE MATCH: Nathan Cleary