Nathan Cleary faces season-ending surgery after Origin 2 injury

Penrith’s premiership hopes could be in tatters with the revelation halfback Nathan Cleary may be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Penrith is sweating on Nathan Cleary’s fitness after reports emerged he faces being rubbed out for the rest of the season.

The 23-year-old hurt his shoulder during the Blues’ 26-0 drubbing over the Maroons in Origin II, but refused to leave the field.

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The Sydney Morning Herald reports the Panthers were preparing for Cleary to see a specialist after early scans revealed a tear in his shoulder.

It will be a major blow for the Panthers and their premiership hopes if the gun playmaker goes missing, as they struggled noticeably without their stars who were away on Origin duty ahead of the first game in Townsville.

Cleary skipped the post-game celebrations with NSW teammates after winning game two at Suncorp Stadium, as he focused on icing his shoulder to aid his recovery.

Cleary hurt his shoulder in the first half of Game Two.

“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 halftime 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.”

Even without surgery, the shoulder injury throws Cleary’s selection for Origin III into doubt. Rugby league reporter Danny Weidler tweeted on Tuesday: “Blues coach Brad Fittler says Nathan Clearys shoulder injury has ruled him out of Origin III.”

The Blues have plenty of options in the halves, with Mitchell Moses or Adam Reynolds readily available to fill the big boots potentially left in Cleary’s absence.

Originally published as Nathan Cleary faces season-ending surgery after Origin 2 injury