Blues halfback Nathan Cleary suffers cruel blow, faces six weeks on sideline with ankle injury

After the euphoria of the Perth demolition job comes the bad news. NSW and Penrith playmaker Nathan Cleary looks set to spend at least a month on the sidelines.

Nathan Cleary of the Blues receives attention from a trainer during Game 2 of the 2019 State of Origin series between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues at Optus Stadium in Perth, Sunday, June 23, 2019. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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Nathan Cleary will spend up to a month in a moon boot and is no chance of playing in the Origin decider in Sydney.

Cleary injured his ankle late in the first half and did not return for the second.

Until that moment, he had been highly effective and his defence was particularly strong.

Newcastle’s Mitchell Pearce will be considered to replace Cleary, although coach Brad Fittler may opt to play James Maloney at halfback and shift Jack Wighton from centre to five-eighth, where he plays for Canberra.

That would mean finding another centre and the two obvious candidates are Latrell Mitchell and Josh Morris, who played in the position in game one.

Nathan Cleary goes down with an ankle injury in the first half. Picture: AAP

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The Panthers on Tuesday revealed Cleary had been diagnosed with a high grade lateral ankle injury and would be sidelined for up to four weeks, ruling him out of Origin III on July 10.

Positive news for Nathan Cleary who has avoided a syndesmosis injury (high ankle sprain), suffering a high grade lateral ankle sprain (low ankle sprain). He will avoid surgery & miss up to a month. Recovery much quicker for lateral ankle sprains, rehab much easier to accelerate pic.twitter.com/rnyIrmleps

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) June 24, 2019

A forlorn Nathan Cleary sits on the sideline after suffering an ankle injury which looks set to rub him out of the decider. Picture: Adam Head

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Originally published as Blues halfback Nathan Cleary suffers cruel blow, faces six weeks on sideline with ankle injury