‘There shouldn’t be doubters’: Isaah Yeo shattered for Nathan Cleary who won’t get the chance to silence his critics next month

Nathan Cleary has won three premierships in a row, but his latest injury setback means he doesn’t get the chance to silence his doubters at Origin level.

Nathan Cleary will be a huge loss for the Panthers, but it’s equally as bad for the Blues. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Panthers co-captain Isaah Yeo says he’s “super disappointed” for Nathan Cleary who won’t get the chance to silence his critics in State of Origin this year, but the lock forward is excited for young gun Jack Cole who gets the chance to audition for a starting spot in the halves in 2025.

Cleary suffered a grade 2 hamstring tear in the win over the Bulldogs that will sideline him for up to eight weeks. It means he’ll realistically miss the entire NSW campaign having missed two Origin games last year with the same injury.

An injured Nathan Cleary was shattered as he left BlueBet Stadium last week. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“I’m super disappointed for him because there’s a big period coming up for him as well,” Yeo said.

“The silver lining is that he’ll be back for the back end of the season and we’ve got a lot of time now to get it right, but I’m shattered for him.

“It deflates you and it probably showed a bit in that second half with the whole team.

“It’s because we see how hard he works and how diligent he is, particularly on the back of an injury and how much work he puts into it, so to see it go again was disappointing.

“The silver lining is we’ve got a lot of time to get it right for the back end of the season, but he’s probably struggling to see that side of it at the moment, particularly with the period that’s coming up.

“All you can do is rally around him and make sure he’s got support.”

Cleary has been the best player in the NRL for a while now and has been the main reason behind Penrith’s three-straight titles where he’s claimed two Clive Churchill Medals.

But for all the success he’s had at club level, the champion halfback still has his critics on the rep stage where he boasts a 7-7 record for NSW.

Cleary was primed to silence some of his State of Origin critics. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“He was really ready for that (Origin),” Yeo said.

“There shouldn’t be doubters, but there obviously are, so it would have been nice to silence them.”

Cleary isn’t the only NSW star set to miss the series, with Tom Trbojevic suffering another hamstring tear, while Cam Murray will miss at least game one with a hip issue.

With players going down like flies ahead of game one in three weeks, Yeo says the focus can’t be on injuries.

“If you were to think like that then it’s probably more chance of happening,” he said.

“That’s part and parcel of the sport, and injuries can happen in any game in any circumstance.

“I’d like to have a bit more fortune in that regard leading into it, but sometimes things can’t be helped.

“It can’t be helped now, and it’s happened to a few players – not just Nath – from both sides. That’s why you pick a 36-man squad at the start of the year. These coaches are too smart.”

Jarome Luai has the chance to impress Blues selectors over the next two weeks. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

With Cleary ruled out, the race for the No.7 jersey for NSW is heating up.

Mitch Moses is still sidelined with a broken foot that has kept him out since round 3.

Adam Reynolds is also unavailable, while Nicho Hynes is dealing with calf tightness, which means Jarome Luai is suddenly back in the mix to win back his spot after he was dropped following the game two loss last year.

“He’s been knocked before, but he’s won a series before and had a lot of success in that jersey,” Yeo said.

“Sometimes we can try to make scapegoats for things, and I think he was probably one of those last year.

“He’s done a wonderful job, he’s won a series before and he’d do his job if given the opportunity.”

Jack Cole is leading the race to replace Jarome Luai in the halves next year. Picture: Jan Kruger/Getty Images

For now, Luai gets to play halfback for Penrith alongside Cole, who has earnt his first start in the halves with fellow playmaker Brad Schneider (knee) facing a month out.

Cole started in the halves alongside Cleary in the World Club Challenge loss to Wigan, and that experience should have him ready for Magic Round.

“He wouldn’t have played in a bigger game in terms of the crowd and the occasion, and I thought he played really well,” Yeo said, with Cole set to replace Luai next year when he moves to the Tigers.

“As the game went on, I thought he grew. Now it’s a matter of getting time and minutes into him, and he’s certainly going to get that now. On the back of that, his confidence will grow.

“We don’t want him to do anything other than play his game.”

Originally published as ‘There shouldn’t be doubters’: Isaah Yeo shattered for Nathan Cleary who won’t get the chance to silence his critics next month