- Cleary likely to miss entire State of Origin series
- Panthers running back has grade two hamstring tear
- He will be on the sidelines for at least eight weeks
NSW halfback Nathan Cleary is likely to miss the entire State of Origin series after scans confirmed a grade two hamstring injury that will sideline him for eight weeks.
Champion Penrith playmaker re-injured his right hamstring in Penrith’s 16-10 win over Canterbury on Friday night in a devastating blow for the Blues, who have several key players sidelined through injury .
Cleary left the field just before halftime after injuring his hamstring for the second time as many months ago, and the Panthers issued a statement Sunday confirming the diagnosis.
“Scans revealed a grade 2 hamstring tear that will rule Cleary out for eight weeks,” the club said in a statement.
Nathan Cleary likely to miss entire State of Origin after injuring his hamstring
The champion playmaker has suffered a grade two hamstring injury
It means Cleary will miss Origin I at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on June 5 and the second match at the MCG on June 26, while there is no certainty he will be available for the third match in Brisbane on July 17.
Cleary would have been a sure pick for new NSW coach Michael Maguire, while another Blues option, Nicho Hynes, missed Cronulla’s win over Melbourne on Saturday night with a calf injury.
The Sharks said it was more of a precautionary measure and were hopeful he would be available for their Magic Round clash against the Sydney Roosters on Saturday night in Brisbane.
“We haven’t had a lot of time to evaluate it, but I would suggest it’s not significant, so it’s a good opportunity (for next week),” Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon said after the game.
Mitch Moses would normally be the favorite to replace two-time Clive Churchill medalist Cleary, but the Parramatta playmaker has injury problems of his own.
Moses may return from a foot injury against Melbourne next Sunday, but it is far from a certainty that he will be able to play.
Meanwhile, Manly and Blues backline striker Tom Trbojevic is also expected to be unavailable for seven weeks due to a hamstring injury.
Cleary will be sidelined for at least eight weeks and will likely miss all three Origin games.
While Cleary’s hamstring injury will prove serious for the NSW Blues ahead of the State of Origin series opener on June 5, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary declared “the show goes on”.
“He’s actually pretty gutted, it’s very disappointing for him. “Obviously I’m torn between being his coach and being his father right now,” the Panthers coach said at the postgame press conference on Friday.
“I thought in that first half he was really starting to come into his own.” But yeah, anyway, the show goes on.
“He kind of did it by running, kicking and lunging…. (So) he felt it right away, so he knew that would suggest he was decent.”
