"It was basically the template on how not to win,'' he said of the Warriors' 40-10 defeat to Brisbane on Saturday.
They were lethargic and inept. They missed an incredible 59 tackles, completed only 18 of 31 sets and made 15 errors.
But for as bad as they were, they are still alive. They have another chance - 12 teams have already ended their seasons - and now tackle the Wests Tigers on Friday night knowing defeat definitely spells the end of their title ambitions.
Cleary has made one enforced change to his starting side, with Krisnan Inu coming in at centre for the unlucky Joel Moon who dislocated his right ankle. Moon, who is off contract, has already had surgery on the leg and will remain in Australia for a couple of weeks as he recovers.
For the rest of the squad, it will be their pride and minds that need rehabilitation. They were made to sit through a video of the Broncos game on Monday which must have seemed like a horror show for many.
"I think the weekend's game was basically an aberration from what we had been delivering,'' Cleary said. "I'm sure we can give a better account of ourselves this week.
"We might have been a little bit excited. We possibly got a little ahead of ourselves and were punished for it. That happens sometimes in finals. They were certainly red-hot and it just wasn't our night.
"The fact we survived is the best tonic. That was one of the biggest feelings after the game - was that it? So to get another shot, we are very grateful for that. The boys are very keen.
"We have had a look at the game and understand what went wong, and lots went wrong. We understand what we need to deliver. It's really a matter of going back to what got us there in the first place.
"What we didn't do against the Broncos was give ourselves a chance. First and foremost, we need to make sure we don't beat ourselves and give ourselves a chance. If we can do that, we feel we can beat any team.''
The Tigers have won both games between the two sides this season - 20-12 in Sydney in round two and 26-22 at Mt Smart in June - and come into it on the back of an incredible nine-game winning run that has seen them rated as third-favourites behind Melbourne and Manly to win the competition.
It's inevitable they will target winger Manu Vatuvei, who had an unhappy to return from a fractured wrist - he spilled the ball five times and missed three tackles. The 25-year-old has history with his hands but has an ability to put setbacks behind him.
"He's not one of the best wingers in the world for nothing,'' Cleary opined. "Maybe you should ask the Tigers if they would rather he played or not.
"It's just of those things. Anyone who has watched Manu throughout his career, he's not the sort of guy who's ever error-free. But what he brings is stuff that others can't.
"He would be the first to admit he made some errors in the weekend but I thought some of his carries and his running was some of the best he's done in a long time. If we can just marry the two up, I think we have a pretty good weapon.''
Inu has had an up-and-down season, having scored 10 tries in 15 games. He's played mostly on the wing but he was poor in his one start at centre against the Bulldogs.
Inu is the sort of player who can drift through games but also make things happen and was impressive in that position in the Eels' late-season surge to the 2009 grand final.
"I have more to prove to myself than anyone,'' he said. "I'm not trying to impress everyone, I just want to do my job and prove I can deliver.''
Warriors team (one to be omitted): Kevin Locke, Bill Tupou, Lewis Brown, Krisnan Inu, Manu Vatuvei, James Maloney, Shaun Johnson, Sam Rapira, Aaron Heremaia, Jacob Lillyman, Feleti Mateo, Simon Mannering (c), Micheal Luck. Interchange: Lance Hohaia, Russell Packer, Ben Matulino, Ukuma Ta'ai.
