Ivan Cleary has admitted watching his son Nathan suffer a badly broken leg marked one of the hardest days of his career, feeling the line between father and coach blurred for the first time.
But the veteran Penrith mentor is insistent his son Nathan still has more levels to attain once he returns from his injury, following his landmark Dally M victory on Wednesday night.
Cleary's Dally M triumph completed the Penrith halfback's rugby league box set, having now claimed every major team and individual honour available to him by age 28.
Unable to attend in person after being released from hospital following emergency surgery on his leg, the Panthers halfback collected the game's top honour while in a wheelchair at home.
Coach Ivan also appeared emotional during Nathan's pre-recorded speech, after the trophy was hand-delivered to the halfback earlier in the day.
"His voice perked up from what it's been the past couple of days," Ivan told AAP.
"It's a pretty amazing award. You don't play the game for individual awards, but it's certainly nice to be recognised.
"Particularly this award, it's pretty much the No.1 award in the game."
Hear from your 2026 NRL Dally M Medal winner, Nathan Cleary! 👏 #DallyM #NRL pic.twitter.com/uPcWZCU3mu
— NRL (@NRL) September 30, 2026
Reminded that his son had now scaled virtually every possible mountain in the sport, the Penrith coach insisted there were still improvements left in his son's game.
"It's crazy," Ivan said.
"I know he'd say it and I probably think a bit the same. You don't reflect too much when it's still going on. But when you put it like that, it's amazing.
"But I know there is so much more to come as well, and I know he thinks that way as well."
Nathan has received positive early news from surgeons after the operation on his compound fracture and dislocated ankle, as a result of a hip-drop tackle in Sunday's preliminary-final loss to Newcastle.
He will soon undergo surgery on other foot after fighting through a broken bone to play the Knights, but Penrith are hopeful he will be right for round one in 2027.
"Sunday was definitely one of the harder days I have been through," coach Cleary said.
"It's the first time where the line of dad and coach got a bit blurred. And the loss, I guess we have had a lot of good days so you can't have it all your way.
"Very emotional, but life goes on."
Footage has also emerged of fullback Dylan Edwards not only being horrified by the graphic injury at first, but then also trying to stop Nathan from seeing it.
"I was just trying to keep him calm as I could," Edwards said.
"To his credit he is a tough person. And the way he was handling that was incredible.
"It was gut-wrenching, something you're not used to seeing on the footy field."
Edwards, meanwhile, is still hopeful of being able to represent Australia at the World Cup after avoiding knee surgery following a PCL injury in the loss.
"I'm not sure, I have to talk to Kevvie (coach Kevin Walters)," Edwards said, while wearing a brace at the Dally Ms.
