Slater predicts Cleary injury mystery as ‘bad word’ surfaces
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Billy Slater has warned fans may not know the severity of Nathan Cleary‘s injury until the day of the Panthers’ preliminary final, as he battles a stress-related bone issue in his foot.
Cleary appeared to be in discomfort in the final 10 minutes of the side’s 19-12 qualifying final win over the Roosters on Sunday, where he injured his foot.
Nathan Cleary is sweating on scan results to learn if he will be fit to play in the preliminary final next week. Getty Images
The superstar playmaker was seen limping around the field but refused to come off, eventually lining up to nail a field goal to put Penrith in front late in the match.
Brian To’o sealed the deal for the Panthers when he darted over in the 77th minute, though Dylan Edwards lined up in place of Cleary to take the conversion.
Cleary insisted post-match that his injury was nothing too serious and rather just “a little bump”, but his father and coach, Ivan, confirmed “something was wrong”.
The 28-year-old underwent scans with Penrith confirming on Monday evening that it’s a stress-related bone issue.
Slater hoped Cleary was not diagnosed with an injured Lisfranc.
“(Lisfranc) is a bad word to hear,” he said on Wide World of Sports’ The Billy Slater Podcast. ”Let’s hope it’s not.”
Lisfranc injuries typically take anywhere between three and 12 months to recover from, with the likes of Knights fullback Kalyn Ponga previously suffering the issue.
Slater warned fans may not find out how severe the pain is until an hour before the preliminary final kicks off.
“One thing about the Panthers is you won’t know (the result), they won’t tell you,” the former Queensland Maroons coach said.
“They are tight at the foot at the mountains with their injuries. You will have no idea what is going on with Nathan until potentially an hour before kick-off.
Slater continued: “There is a concern because he was limping around for the last 10 minutes. He didn’t take that conversion, so there obviously is something.
“It is not uncommon to play our game and have a bump or bruise. You can get over most of them, but a Lisfranc (injury) isn’t one you want to hear if that’s the case.”
Cleary did opt to complete media duties and engage with fans after the thrilling qualifying final, although print journalists were not able to speak with him in the sheds afterwards.
Slater says the fact Cleary spoke to TV broadcasts and engaged with fans was a good sign.
“If you know you have a serious injury, you are probably walking straight off and up the tunnel to get some ice on it and speak to the medical staff,” he said.
“That is the one thing that he does so well, Nathan. He gives to the people that turn up. He walks around and gives back to them, gets photos, does all the media. He is a true professional and a great personality and role model for our game.
Cleary was leading the Dally M leaderboard when it went behind closed doors after round 12. Getty Images
“That humility has helped him sustain the success he has had for the last six years. He is a wonderful person to represent our game.”
Penrith already received some good news relating to Cleary on Monday morning when the match review committee confirmed he would only be fined for his dangerous contact charge for taking out the legs of Roosters kicker Hugo Savala.
Slater agreed the incident was not worthy of a harsher sanction as Nathan “is not a dangerous player that is playing outside the rules”.
The Panthers have a week off before their preliminary final next week, with the winner of the Knights and Warriors to become their opponent.
The Warriors will host the Knights in an elimination final at Eden Park on Sunday.
