Penrith’s star half is expected to be fit for round one but is still no certainty.
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has confirmed his son and superstar halfback Nathan Cleary is on track to play in Penrith’s NRL season opener in Las Vegas, but admits his availability is not a certainty. The four-time premiership-winning No.7 is one of four Panthers stars that underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season, with Liam Henry, Blaize Talagi and fullback Dylan Edwards also going under the knife after the club’s fourth-straight premiership in 2024.
The 27-year-old Cleary passed his first major test to be fit for the round one clash against Cronulla in Las Vegas after coming through an in-house scrimmage unscathed over the weekend. And Penrith’s coach told SEN radio on Tuesday morning that while his champion halfback and the other players battling off-season injuries were all expected to feature in round one, he warned that “the slightest setback” could scupper any of their hopes.
“It’s been a case of, if everything goes well then they’ll be ready,” Ivan Cleary said. “And to this point everything has gone well but the slightest setback is going to put round one in serious doubt. So at this stage they’re all looking pretty good but we’ve still got a bit to get through yet.”
The Panthers are expected to name a second-string side to face Manly in Friday night’s Pre Season Challenge contest at Leichhardt Stadium, with the Vegas clash against the Sharks little more than a week later. The last thing the Panthers need is a worrying injury to one of their key players before they embark on a quest for a fifth-straight NRL premiership in 2025.
Nathan Cleary’s key change to help try and manage injuries
Penrith co-captain Cleary was restricted to just 13 games last season after once again being affected by hamstring injuries. The superstar halfback has been plagued by hamstring complaints over the years that have seen him miss rep footy with the Blues in State of Origin, with his shoulder injury ruling him out of the Kangaroos’ Pacific Championship campaign.
The 27-year-old has turned to a strict diet to help try and manage his hamstring issues and has spoken about his plan to cut down on his training workload – particularly around kicking – to give him the best chance to stay on the park. “Nathan has come onto the public record saying he’s not going to train as hard… he’s going to do more mentally,” former league player Joel Caine said on SEN radio.
“So instead of him kicking it – he’s done that thousands of times – he doesn’t need to kick as many balls as he has in the past, which leads to hamstring injuries and those sorts of things. He can visualise himself doing it.” League great Bryan Fletcher described it as playing “smarter, not harder” and the Panthers will be hoping the approach helps Cleary avoid more injuries, play more games for them and make his likely return to the Origin arena with the Blues.
Cleary spoke this week about his relationship with Matildas star Mary Fowler and how the happiness in his personal life is helping him play better footy. And Cleary warned that despite already winning four premierships at the age of 27, things could get even better for the Panthers superstar this season.
“It could,” Cleary told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Nothing is ever perfect. You’re constantly in pursuit of happiness – I don’t know what that actually means. But the feeling I have is that if everything is going well off the field, you usually play pretty well on it. And I definitely feel like that at the moment.”
