Nathan Cleary will be “available to play the 2024 NRL finals,” the Penrith Panthers have confirmed today after club doctors ruled the superstar halfback wouldn’t need surgery on his injured shoulder.
The Panthers on-field commander was forced off the field late in Penrith’s loss to ladder leaders the Storm on Thursday after suffering visible discomfort following a tackle.
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There were fears the injury, which was confirmed soon after the match to have been “shoulder instability,” would rule the superstar out of the pointy end of the 2024 NRL season. Thankfully, the game will keep one of its selling points for the big matches, with the Panthers confirming he’ll be ready to play the postseason.
“Scans today confirmed Nathan experienced a recurrence of the shoulder instability he had earlier in the year,” the club wrote in an injury update shared on the Panthers website on Friday.
“The scans indicate he’s avoided immediate surgery. The positive outcome is the club plans to have Nathan available for NRL finals.”
Coach and father Ivan Cleary originally revealed it was a “reoccurrence” of an issue the Panthers halfback had picked up in the preseason. The 26-year-old had then had some struggles with it when he was rehabbing for a different hamstring injury mid-year, but hadn’t had any pain or problems for some time.
“I’m concerned. It’s bad enough for him to come off,” Cleary senior had added. “He’s in better shape than he was when he did his hammy. I hope that’s good news but what do you do? It’s just one of those years.”
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The Panthers will have to navigate at least their final three matches of the regular season without Cleary. They’ll face the Raiders on the road before returning to Penrith to play the Rabbitohs and Titans.
