‘It’s a blessing in disguise’: Bye comes at the perfect time as Panthers halves prepare for scans

The Panthers proved that there were no cracks out west, but a statement win may have come at a cost with two of their best players injured.

The bye has come at the perfect time for Penrith with their star halves set for scans. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Jarome Luai says next week’s bye is a “blessing in disguise” as he and halves partner Nathan Cleary prepare to go in for scans to have their respective foot injuries assessed.

Cleary limped off just before halftime and didn’t take the shot at goal to convert Izack Tago’s telling try after he was caught awkwardly while trying to make a tackle on Alex Johnston.

Nathan Cleary came back on and kicked in the second half, but he’ll be sent for scans to determine the extent of his ankle injury. Picture; Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

He was given the green light to resume and seemed fine in the second half, while it was later revealed that Luai was also dealing with a foot injury after emerging from the sheds in a moon boot following the 16-10 win over the Rabbitohs.

It’s a good thing the Panthers don’t play for another two weeks when they face the Eels in the grand final rematch.

“I just got trodden on. Jaeman Salmon did it. 2-0 for him,” Luai laughed after the game.

“Nah, I can’t remember who did it. It’s just blown up a bit, but we’ve got the week off so it’ll be sweet.

“I think it happened in the first half. It’s a blessing in disguise (we have the bye).”

The extra week off could be crucial for Cleary, who would love redemption after he was sent off in the corresponding clash at CommBank Stadium against the Eels in 2022.

It turns out Brian To’o was the one who landed on Cleary’s foot as the pair combined to bring back down Alex Johnston. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

“It’s fine. I just got it caught in an awkward position just before halftime. It felt a little bit weird for a little while but then I finished the game and it feels good now,” he said, revealing teammate Brian To’o was the one who pinned him.

“Bizza’s big arse fell on my ankle. It’s sweet.”

Having the representative halves on the paddock is a must for a Penrith side that dropped the World Club Challenge and then lost 13-12 in their season opener, leading some to question whether their time at the top was over.

Latrell Mitchell even suggested there were cracks in the windscreen before Penrith silenced those concerns in the best way possible.

“I guess they’re fixed,” Cleary said.

“There was no time to panic. It’s probably been a while, especially for these young guys, since they’ve lost two games in a row if you include the World Club Challenge.

“We did a lot of good things in round 1, but we just needed to put that together. It’s not going to be perfect in the year – it wasn’t perfect tonight – but it’s all about building blocks and setting up the foundation for later in the year.”

There were no signs of cracks on Thursday night as the Panthers bounced back from a shock loss to show they are still title contenders. Picture; Channel 9

The week off could be a good thing for Luai – not just because of his foot – but because he was again dragged into the headlines for spraying Salmon for not being in the right spot at a crucial time last week.

Past players applauded his actions while his teammates said it was great to see, and at no stage did Luai ever buy into what’s becoming all too familiar criticism.

“We don’t listen to outside noise. We just go with the flow,” he said.

“It’s only round 2. We’ve got some new players, so we’ve just got to get our timing right and our combinations right. That will come with more game time and more reps.”