Penrith Panthers head coach Ivan Cleary has expressed concern over his son Nathan Cleary’s latest shoulder injury, which is a recurrence of a previous issue. Nathan, the star halfback, has been dealing with injuries throughout the season, having missed the entire State of Origin series due to a hamstring problem and also managing a shoulder injury earlier in the year.
Ivan Cleary explained that while Nathan had managed to get his shoulder injury under control during his time out with the hamstring issue, the injury has resurfaced. After Penrith’s narrow loss to the Melbourne Storm, Ivan Cleary noted that the severity of the injury is still uncertain, and scans will be required to assess the damage. The coach acknowledged that the injury was severe enough to force Nathan to leave the game, which has raised concerns about his availability moving forward.
There is speculation from the NRL Physio that Nathan’s shoulder injury could involve instability, with a potential recovery time ranging from as short as two weeks to as long as six months, depending on the results of the scans. However, Ivan Cleary offered a bit of optimism by mentioning that Nathan was in better spirits than when he initially injured his hamstring during a match against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Round 10. The coach explained that he was mainly checking in on his son’s condition, and while Nathan’s mood was better this time around, the situation remains concerning.
Nathan Cleary’s injuries have limited his participation to just ten games this season. Despite this, Panthers captain Isaah Yeo expressed confidence in the team’s ability to adapt and continue performing in Nathan’s absence. Yeo noted that the team had already navigated a significant portion of the season without Nathan due to his hamstring injury, which should give them confidence moving forward. He also praised Jarome Luai for stepping up during Nathan’s absence and emphasized that the team will need individuals to rise to the occasion once again.
The loss to Melbourne has likely ended the Panthers’ chances of securing the minor premiership, but they remain in a strong position to maintain a top-two spot as they face the Canberra Raiders, South Sydney Rabbitohs, and Gold Coast Titans in the final weeks of the season.
