Panthers consider painkilling jabs for Cleary as shoulder surgery looms

Panthers medical staff will weigh up whether to administer pain-killing injections into Nathan Cleary’s injured left shoulder for the first time in Sunday’s NRL grand final.

Having subluxed his shoulder against Melbourne six weeks ago, Cleary jarred the same joint in the final minutes of Saturday’s win over Cronulla. While club’s medicos are adamant he suffered no further damage, they are unlikely to take any chances in the decider against the Storm.

The Panthers halfback has not required a needle in his two games since returning from the initial injury. Depending on how he responds to treatment, and how much confidence he has in the strength of his shoulder, Cleary is expected to limit what he does at training this week.

Sources with knowledge of the injury not authorised to speak publicly told this masthead Cleary is expected to be restricted to light duties at Wednesday’s main field session, but will complete tackling and wrestling drills set down for Friday. Cleary has completed every training session since he returned before the qualifying final.

Coach Ivan Cleary confirmed last week his son was “highly likely” to undergo surgery, which could happen as early as next week. The recovery time from stabilisation surgery is three months at minimum.

Should surgeons discover damage to the rotator-cuff tendon, they will operate on the spot, but that means a recovery period of up to four months, which would likely rule Cleary out of the 2025 season opener in Las Vegas.

Nathan Cleary is nursing shoulder and hand injuries leading into the grand final.Credit: Getty Images

Jarome Luai played with painkilling injections in last year’s grand final as he made his comeback from a dislocated shoulder, receiving one before the game and another at half-time before coming from the field midway through the second half.

Meanwhile, the Panthers confirmed Dylan Edwards will not require post-season surgery, with the PCL he ruptured in Origin III now functioning at “95 per cent”.

How shoulder complaint could impact Cleary in Sunday’s decider

Cleary’s injury will restrict the range of motion in his shoulder joint, highlighting the enormity of the challenge he faces in the decider on Sunday.

The halfback injured his left shoulder during Penrith’s win over Cronulla in last week’s preliminary final and was replaced with six minutes remaining in the match.

Nathan Cleary clutches his left shoulder during the preliminary final.Credit: NRL Photos

Cleary has had recurring problems with his shoulder, first dislocating it in the pre-season which forced him to miss three weeks of full-contact training in January. The 26-year-old also had surgery on his right shoulder in 2021 after damage to his rotator cuff tore 80 per cent of his supporting tendon.

A shoulder injury might affect his ability to tackle, carry the ball and pass it, according to Suzi Edwards, a sport scientist and Associate Professor of health sciences at the University of Sydney said.

“They [people with shoulder injuries like Cleary] have trouble doing movements like lifting their arm forward above their shoulder height. But if you think about rugby league and all of its key movements, those kinds of positions are regularly performed.”

Cleary will need to reduce his shoulder’s range of motion and keep his arms closer to the body to maintain a more stable position, Edwards said.

Shoulder injuries, most of which are sustained whuile making tackles, are common but can also carry severe consequences. Sixty per cent of injuries require reconstruction surgeries to repair torn or stretched ligaments. This is because the shoulder has a large range of motion and is incredibly reliant on the arm staying in the shoulder joint, making it more susceptible to dislocation.

“The knee joint, you either have it straight and it probably can flex to 130 degrees, but if you look at your shoulder, you can move it in a 360-degree motion,” Edwards said.

“When you have injuries, you can then actually learn adaptation strategies to modify your game and how you play on the field to make sure that you don’t place yourself in those high-risk injury positions.”

However, Edwards said that while Penrith can plan strategies leading up to Sunday, the reactive nature of the sport means any plans can count for nothing during a match.

“There’s always things that may be unplanned and you don’t know what the opponent’s behaviour is. This is where we can see some of those tackles that have led to season-ending injuries. That’s where you can’t plan the unpredictable.”

“The best plan of attack is actually to plan what you can control and how you perform yourself.”

Edwards said it is still early days, and is unclear what the injury could mean for Cleary’s performance beyond the decider. His father and coach Ivan said it is likely he will undergo surgery in the off-season.

“It isn’t a short rehabilitation. It’s not just a surgery, but there’s a minimum six to nine months rehabilitation plan that has to be taken and adjusted.”

Watch the 2024 NRL grand final Live and Free on Channel 9 & 9Now

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.