Penrith Panthers forward Trent Merrin set to make inspirational comeback against Newcastle
TRENT Merrin couldn’t catch a football on Monday, but will defy the pain of his fractured and dislocated finger to line up for injury ravaged Penrith against Newcastle on Friday night.
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TRENT Merrin couldn’t catch a football on Monday, but will defy the pain of his fractured and dislocated finger to line up for injury ravaged Penrith against Newcastle on Friday night.
Merrin feared for his season when he fractured his right index finger after accidentally clashing with teammate Sione Katoa in the warm-up to last Friday’s 26-20 loss to North Queensland in Bathurst.
He underwent surgery in nearby Orange on the same night, before posting a gruesome X-ray picture on Saturday.
Merrin battled to train with his finger bandaged on Monday, but returned to the field on Wednesday determined to put the soreness aside to help a Penrith side missing more than 400 NRL games of experience through injury.
According to Panthers centre Isaah Yeo, Merrin’s courage and team-first mentality is why his teammates rate him so highly.
“Trent knows how important this game against Newcastle is for us and how much of a leader he is for us, particularly in the forward pack,” Yeo told The Daily Telegraph.
“He couldn’t do much on Monday at training and he had it (the finger) all bandaged up.
“At one stage he’d ruled himself out and Jimmy (Maloney) was getting stuck into him. All of a sudden he’s playing again.
“But we weren’t sure if he was going to be back this week or next. In the end he got the all-clear and he is happy to play through the pain with some stitches.
“He has also got a cast made up for his finger. We’ve got a tremendous physio staff that will work hard to make it as comfortable as they can for him.
“Trent playing is a massive bonus for us and I’m sure he will do a wonderful job for us.”
Despite last week’s loss to North Queensland, Penrith remain in third position after nine rounds.
Yeo says his side can’t afford to feel comfortable, especially with an away clash against an improved Newcastle outfit looming.
“We don’t want to be losing back-to-back games,” he said.
“We’ve got a bye coming up in under a month, so if we can get through we have troops coming back in the next few weeks.”
Star halfback Nathan Cleary is on track to return from his grade three medial ligament tear against the Wests Tigers at Panthers Stadium next Thursday.
Yeo is excited about Cleary’s looming return, but realistic about placing too much expectation on the young playmaker’s shoulders.
“I’m not sure what the plan is yet for Nath,” he said.
“They could wait until the Dragons game in round 12. He doesn’t have a lot of footy under his belt, so I’m not expecting him to come back and be a world beater.
“It will be just nice to have his calm head out there on the field.”
The Panthers will be without Cleary for Friday’s game against Newcastle, but Yeo has full faith in the rest of the squad.
“Everyone comes in with that next-man-up attitude,” he said.
“Culture-wise, I haven’t been in a side that is so close-knit from one through to 30.
“I think that has shown in how we’ve played. We’ve had a few injuries and our starts haven’t been ideal, but our attitude has been second to none all year.
“It will be a massive job against the Knights this week.
“They’ve been playing exceptionally well, particularly Kalyn Ponga. We are down on troops, but I’ve got all the trust, confidence and belief in our side that no matter who comes in they’ll do the job for us.”
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