Penrith running back Nathan Cleary says he is ahead of schedule after returning to training on Thursday, just five weeks after shoulder surgery.
He hopes to develop a relationship with new recruit Blaize Talagi as the Panthers chart a path to what would be an astonishing fifth consecutive NRL premiership.
It comes as the 27-year-old revealed the extreme dietary measures he is taking while away from partner Mary Fowler on her way back.
Talagi, who moved to the reigning champions from Parramatta, is tipped to be the replacement in the halves for Jarome Luai, the latest in a long line of premiership winners to depart in recent seasons.
Both Talagi and Penrith superstar fullback Dylan Edwards also underwent off-season shoulder surgery, but all could be available for their first game in Las Vegas, with Cleary looking good during Thursday’s session.
The four-time premiership winner was with his teammates at Nepean Hospital on Friday afternoon spreading Christmas cheer, and locals were excited to see their main man looking so good just weeks after major surgery to repair a shoulder injury that affected him during the preseason and ruled. left him out for a few weeks on the eve of the final.
Cleary has had a series of shoulder injuries in recent seasons that have kept him out of the park.
The Panthers playmaker underwent offseason surgery to hopefully correct the joint by 2025.
“It’s about a three or four month recovery, so it’s been good so far.” I went back to training yesterday (Thursday) and it’s been going well so far,” Cleary told NewsWire.
‘I’m slowly ticking the boxes and then it will start to ramp up after Christmas. I’m a little ahead of schedule, which is great.
“There are a few guys at the club who have returned from shoulder surgery and they are all doing very well. We are all progressing well together.”
Cleary hasn’t been able to make full contact or do much work on the ball, and the champion playmaker will spend the preseason building a relationship with 19-year-old Talagi.
But it won’t be a simple swap for Luai, as Cleary and his former five-eighth spent a decade together in the lower grades before becoming a dominant pairing in the NRL.
They were Batman and Robin for so long that it all felt second nature, so Cleary doesn’t want to make any bold predictions about Talagi, who is battling Jack Cole for the number six jersey.
Cleary is on a temporary carnivore diet to try to speed up his recovery and be ready for next season.
Part of the diet includes drinking sea moss as part of your breakfast every day.
Cleary also eats four steaks a day to help strengthen his body and shed fat.
“I don’t have any expectations right now,” Cleary said.
“He’s back in pretty good shape for a guy who had shoulder surgery a week after me and he’s absolutely flying.”
‘I’ve been getting to know him these last few days. He’s actually my locker neighbor, so it’s been nice.
“He is a shy child but he really wants to learn. If you tell him something, he accepts it immediately and learns quickly.
“I don’t have any expectations yet, but I played against him last season and I know he is a great player with great talent, but he also has a lot to learn.
‘I just want to get to know him as a person first and help him as much as I can on the training pitch.
“There’s a long way to go before the first round comes around, and there are other guys putting their hands up for the number six spot. It’s a really healthy competition.”
Cleary could invite Talagi to dinner to share some ideas in which the teen would enjoy sea moss, steaks, scrambled eggs, and then some bone broth and more sea moss for dessert.
The Panthers are eyeing an unprecedented fifth consecutive NRL premiership in 2025
It’s all part of Cleary’s carnivorous diet that he turned to while dealing with repeated hamstring injuries that limited him to a career-low 13 games in 2024.
“When I was going through the Hammy issues last year, I wanted to wipe the slate clean and take a step back to look at everything I was doing,” he revealed.
‘If there was anything I could do to help myself in any way, I would do it.
‘The topic of carnivores is not full time. I use it here and there as a little cleanup and then add fruit and sweet potato again.
“I just want to be more conscious of my diet and try to do small percentages that keep me on track.”
‘I go through periods where I’m quite disciplined, but after a match I’ll indulge a little here and there to maintain a healthy balance.
“I’ve been feeling really good, especially in my stomach, with my recovery time and my mental clarity.”