Panthers star Nathan Cleary has been given a grand final warning on his suspect shoulder after the halfback left Penrith’s preliminary final win against Cronulla early.\
Cleary clutched at his troublesome left shoulder after making a tackle with eight minutes left in the game, with coach Ivan Cleary pulling his son from the game not long after.
The halfback allayed any fears he’d miss the grand final, telling reporters “it’s all good… it’s just a little knock.”
However, Blues State of Origin doctor Dr Nathan Gibbs warned that it’s the type of injury that if Cleary carries into the grand final, it could quickly curtail Penrith’s chance at a fourth straight premiership.
“It is one of those injuries that, unfortunately for Nathan, could happen in the first minute of the grand final,” Gibbs told the SMH.
“He played [in the first week of the finals] and was very physical and nothing went wrong with it. Right at the end of this game [against the Sharks] he obviously had an episode.
“If it’s hit in the wrong way with enough force it will cause it to have a subluxation event and, when it slips a little bit and goes straight back in, it just hurts.
“I know Nathan from Origin, and he is pretty tough. He plays well injured. Some players do, some players don’t. He certainly does.”
EMERGING STORM PROP IN LINE FOR GF BERTH
Storm coach Craig Bellamy has a headache on his hands in the front row after enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona was slapped with a whopping four-game ban.
That is if he takes the early guilty plea, with Melbourne having until lunchtime on Monday to decide where they will contest the charge, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Asofa-Solomona earnt himself a grade three dangerous contact charge for his hit on Roosters prop Lindsay Collins, which was his third and subsequent offence.
Lazarus Vaalepu, 25, is shaping as a bench option, having interestingly been born in Penrith, before playing for the Raiders’ junior sides.
The front rower then made the move to Queensland to join the Wynnum Manly Sea Eagles before he signed with the Sunshine Coast Falcons, making his NRL debut in Round 20.
He went on to play six games in 2024, with his best coming in a loss against the Cowboys in Round 26 whilst on a development deal worth around $80,000 per-season.
Joe Chan is shaping as another bench contender, with Tui Kamikamica likely to shift into the starting front row.
For the Panthers, meanwhile, Mitch Kenny escaped a charge for his high shot on Sharks front rower Tom Hazelton and is free to play.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 6
Melbourne Storm vs Penrith Panthers, Accor Stadium at 7:30pm AEST
Last week’s Storm team: 1. Ryan Papenhuyzen 2. Will Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Nick Meaney 5. Xavier Coates 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Nelson Asofa-Solomona 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Shawn Blore 12. Eliesa Katoa 13. Trent Loeiro 14. Tyran Wishart 15. Christian Welch 16. Tui Kamikamica 17. Alec McDonald 18. Grant Anderson
Team Tips: Enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona was handed a four-game ban with an early guilty plea for his hit on Lindsay Collins and is unlikely to avoid a suspension if he goes to the judiciary. Lazarus Vaalepu, who was born in Penrith, but played his football in Canberra before making the move to Wynnum Manly Seagulls and eventually the Sunshine Coast Falcons, is shaping as the likely bench replacement with Tui Kamikamica slotting into the front row. Joe Chan is another option for Craig Bellamy.
Last week’s Panthers team: 1. Dylan Edwards 2. Sunia Turuva 3. Izack Tago 4. Paul Alamoti 5. Brian To’o 6. Jarome Luai 7. Nathan Cleary 8. Moses Leota 9. Mitch Kenny 10. James Fisher-Harris 11. Luke Garner 12. Liam Martin 13. Isaah Yeo 14. Brad Schneider 15. Lindsay Smith 16. Liam Henry 17. Matt Eisenhuth 18. Casey McLean
Team Tips: Mitch Kenny escaped suspension for a hit on Tom Hazelton. Meanwhile, Nathan Cleary looked to have suffered a shoulder niggle. However he revealed he “felt fine” after copping the knock.
