BREAKING NEWS: “Nathan Cleary to Return This Season as Panthers Receive Encouraging Update on Injure.. Read More

Against the Melbourne Storm, the champion Panthers halfback sustained a shoulder injury.

The Penrith Panthers have provided a positive update on Nathan Cleary’s latest injury, revealing the champion halfback won’t require surgery despite dislocating his shoulder on Thursday night. Cleary was forced to leave the field in the second half of Penrith’s 24-22 loss to the Melbourne Storm, and underwent scans on Friday to assess the extent of the damage.

The scans only revealed minor damage, and Cleary won’t need surgery to fix the issue. Cleary suffered a dislocation/instability issue, which occurred during a tackle with Josh King, and he appeared devastated in the dressing rooms after the game as he cut a forlorn figure with heavy ice packs on his left shoulder.

It’s the other shoulder to the one he damaged in 2021, when he had a stint on the sidelines before playing through the pain to win the grand final. He eventually had to undergo surgery in the off-season, and it’s looking like a similar scenario in 2024.

In a startling revelation, coach Ivan Cleary said his son had aggravated an injury that had been troubling him since the pre-season. “I’m concerned,” Ivan said in his press conference. “It was bad enough for him to come off. We’ll organise the scans tomorrow, until we get those, we’ll be in a better position to see our way forward.”

According the ‘NRL Physio’ Brien Seeney, a shoulder dislocation isn’t a disastrous outcome for Cleary and the Panthers. With only minor damage, Cleary might miss just two games and could be ready for the start of the NRL finals in three weeks’ time. On Friday, the Panthers said their plan is to have him ready to play at some stage in the finals as they seek a fourth-straight NRL title.

Nathan Cleary’s season from hell with multiple injuries

With three games remaining until the NRL finals, Panthers fans will be hoping the damage is only minor and Cleary can make it back for the playoffs. It’s been a turbulent year for the champion halfback, who suffered a hamstring injury in Round 3 and then aggravated it in Round 10 in just his second game back.

He spent 10 weeks on the sidelines getting his hamstring right before returning last month, only to do his shoulder on Thursday night. “He’s in better shape than he was when he did his hammy. Hopefully that means it’s good news,” Ivan Cleary said. “What do you do? It’s just one of those years.”