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Cleary in doubt for Origin III after suffering shoulder injury in Brisbane
Christian NicolussiNathan Cleary is racing the clock to be fit for Origin III after the halfback injured his right shoulder and played in pain for 70 minutes on Sunday night.
The NSW halfback returned home on Monday with his triumphant Blues teammates before undergoing scans for what medical staff believed was a subluxation, which is a partial dislocation.
Cleary suffered the injury after he made a break in the 10th minute against Queensland, before landing awkwardly as he attempted a pass to James Tedesco.
After having his shoulder strapped at half-time, Cleary was hurt again in the second half when he was taken out by Moeaki Fotuaika after kicking the ball at the end of a set.
He then successfully tackled Daly Cherry-Evans with his left arm but missed Dane Gagai with his right and landed in a painful manner.
Blues officials confirmed Cleary had suffered through most of the game, having refused to leave the field.
Cleary passed on a celebratory beer back at the team hotel in Brisbane as he went into “professional mode” and started icing his shoulder to help manage the pain.
“The one positive is he finished the game, and if you have to bring them from the field, that’s when it’s a real worry,” NSW and Penrith’s head of performance Hayden Knowles said. “He played for the majority of the game with it. He had it looked at at half-time and got it strapped. Even in the middle of the second half we asked him if he wanted to come off and he said, ‘no’.
“An hour after the game I asked him about game three and he said, ‘there’s no way I’m missing it’.
“But the type of pain he was in, the physios suggested he could be looking at anywhere between one and four weeks, which is a big range.
“He was positive about it, but we’ll know more once doctors look at him.”
Cleary is unlikely to play in Penrith’s clash against Parramatta on Friday night. And with the Blues to re-enter camp for game three next Monday, there will be a debate about whether Cleary helps complete the Origin clean sweep, or switches his focus to getting right for the Panthers’ premiership assault
Should Cleary be unfit for the July 14 third Origin game, coach Brad Fittler must decide if he unites Jack Wighton and Jarome Luai in the halves, or opts for another No.7. Mitchell Moses, whose Eels play against Penrith this weekend at BlueBet Stadium, could be one option, while South Sydney’s Cody Walker has done a job in the past, although is better suited to five-eighth.
For Penrith, they have the bonus of uniting Matt Burton with Luai in the halves, an option which would not have happened had the club caved to the Bulldogs’ not-so-subtle push to have Burton join them immediately this season.
Cleary has not had any previous issues with his shoulders, while Tom Trbojevic suffered a similar subluxation at the end of last season, but was able to avoid surgery and clearly had no issues since.
Cleary may require surgery as scans raise fears of season-ending injury
Scan results have prompted Penrith to send Nathan Cleary to see a shoulder specialist and he may need surgery after the injury he picked up in Origin II.
