- Nathan Cleary injured his left shoulder on Thursday
- Panthers fans are concerned about the upcoming NRL finals
- The club confirmed that the midfielder aggravated an injury
- Scans will determine how long Cleary will be sidelined
As Panthers fans worry about Nathan Cleary’s fitness, it can now be revealed that the superstar midfielder has been carrying a nagging shoulder complaint all season.
After the playmaker limped off late in the second half against the Melbourne Storm on Thursday night, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary indicated his son had aggravated an injury that had been bothering him for months.
“I’m worried,” Cleary said. “It was so bad he had to come out of theatre. We’ll be organising scans tomorrow (Friday).”
“Once we have that, we’ll be in a better position to see the way forward.”
The NRL physio tweeted Cleary’s left shoulder injury was “a recurrence of something he first suffered in pre-season,” before adding that he “spent the time off with his hamstring working on getting his shoulder back on track as well.”
And moments after Cleary suffered the injury in a seemingly harmless tackle, the NRL physiotherapist They also tweeted their medical experience.:’There’s not a lot of strength in the mechanism – landing on an outstretched arm raises concerns for instability/subluxation, I had the same injury to my right shoulder in 2021.
“Even if it is confirmed that the car season has not finished, it is best that he suffers an injury that burns his nerves.”
Football fans were quick to wish Cleary a speedy recovery.
Nathan Cleary reacts after taking a knock to the shoulder in Penrith’s loss to Melbourne
Scans will determine the severity of Nathan Cleary’s left shoulder after the club confirmed he aggravated an existing injury from pre-season.
“All the best Nathan. We’re all rooting for you,” one follower posted on social media.
Another posted: “I’m devastated. I feel so sorry for him. I just pray he’s okay for finals. Sending you lots of positive vibes Nathan.”
While the scan results will ultimately tell the tale, coach Cleary admitted his side were off the pace in the 24-22 loss, virtually guaranteeing Melbourne will be minor champions in 2024.
“I guess I’m just disappointed with the tries they scored, every single one of them,” he said.
‘A try after a scrum and two in the last plays in which I think we were not urgent enough.’
Cleary also called Tyran Wishart’s effort, where he beat Penrith’s Trent Toelau near the line to level the scores with 20 minutes remaining, “the worst leaked try I’ve seen in five years”.
Rival coach Craig Bellamy called the final result “really pleasing” despite a slow start.
“We lost control of the game a bit and our discipline and our defence dropped a bit at times,” he said.
‘Other than that, I thought our guys were tremendous.’