The Panthers are prepared to look to the US and even Qatar to help fix Nathan Cleary’s hamstrings as fears grow his latest injury could keep the halfback out of the game for up to eight weeks – essentially the entire State of Origin series.
The premiers were awaiting test results after Cleary reinjured his right hamstring in Penrith’s 16-10 win over Canterbury on Friday night. He arrived for scans just after 6pm on Saturday.
The game’s most influential player suffered the injury when he chased through a kick and tackled Connor Tracey. He played on for a few minutes, forced a repeat set with a left-foot kick, before he reluctantly came from the field a minute before half-time.
Cleary experienced a “sharp pain”. Penrith’s medical team indicated after the game he may have suffered a grade-two tear.
Recovery time from a grade-two tear is four to six weeks, but slightly longer if a player has previously injured the hamstring.
The best-case scenario is Cleary has a low-grade irritation of his pre-existing scar tissue, which could have him back in a month.
The NSW No.7 concerns grew on Saturday when Sharks star Nicho Hynes was a shock scratching from the Storm clash because of calf tightness. It is hoped Hynes will return for Magic Round, when Cronulla play the Roosters.
Sources with knowledge of Cleary’s injury, but not authorised to speak publicly until scans were confirmed, told this masthead the club’s preference was to stay local and trust the club’s medical team.
However, given this is Cleary’s second injury to the same hamstring in as many months, and third such injury in a little more than a year, they are also open to exploring options abroad.
Melbourne-based David Opar has worked with NRL players, while there is also Bill Knowles, the Philadelphia-based reconditioning guru who has spent time with Tom Trbojevic, Latrell Mitchell and Ryan Papenhuyzen. Trbojevic, however, injured his hamstring on Thursday night and is faces up to two months on the sideline.
Leave a Reply