Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has declared son and champion halfback Nathan a certain starter for Sunday’s preliminary final against Newcastle.
Nathan Cleary is recovering from a stress-related bone issue in his right kicking foot, an injury he suffered in the qualifying final win against the Roosters.
The Panthers co-captain trained without incident on Friday night. The club has attempted to prevent the media this week from obtaining images of Cleary training by plastering tarpaulin around the club’s training base.
“He’s going well, definitely handy to have that week off there. So he’s good,” Ivan Cleary said of Nathan during his pre-game press conference on Saturday.
“He’s done the work, so looking forward to seeing him out there.”
Jack Cole has been named to partner Nathan Cleary in the halves, despite Jack Cogger – named on an extended bench – being available after serving a suspension. Ivan Cleary ruled out the prospect of his son starting off the bench.
“No, Nat’s ready to play,” he said. “He’s obviously carrying an injury, but there wouldn’t be many players out there at the moment for any team that aren’t. It’s just that time of year, but we’re super confident that all our players are ready to play.”
Cleary said it was too early to determine whether Nathan would be fit for Australia selection for the season-ending Rugby League World Cup. He added there was a chance the halfback’s foot was fractured, but MRI scans are often inconclusive.
“There’s basically enough on there that there’s something wrong,” he said.
“But to you’ve got to go by what I think is called ‘clinically’ – how does it feel, can you walk, etc. So we’ve basically worked out enough that it’s an injury that could get worse, for sure, so we’re trying to manage it as best we can so he can play so we can get him to play …
“He’ll be ready. Yeah, he’s done a bit of everything. He’s actually living with us at the moment, so I’ve actually seen firsthand how much he’s actually done. It’s crazy, yeah. He has left no stone unturned.”
Sam Walker played through the pain of a syndesmosis injury that required surgery less than a month ago in the Roosters’ preliminary final win against the Dolphins on Friday night.
“This is what the players dream about,” Cleary said. “It’s what they go through all the hard work in pre-season for, and all through the year, to get themselves into this sort of arena. So, they’re all true competitors and they find ways to get out there and perform.”
Cleary paid tribute to the Penrith medical staff who had made a slew of stars available for big games. Fullback Dylan Edwards was nursed through a serious foot injury in the 2021 finals series, while Nathan Cleary and Isaah Yeo (pectoral) have defied the odds to figure in the 2026 play-off campaign.
“The medical team’s amazing,” Cleary said. “Their job is way more than just treating people – there’s a lot of decisions to make, even like reading scans and trying to work out what’s the best course of action.
“It’s not like a normal person where you treat them with the utmost care; you’re sort of trying to throw them out on a footy field as well if you can. It’s pretty cool to see how it all works. We’ve got good chemistry through our staff, and we’ve been together for a fairly long time, so I think that helps as well.”
Cleary said a 25-6 loss to Newcastle at Carrington Park in Bathurst last May – a result that consigned the Panthers to last place at the time – was a pivotal moment.
“Oh, that was awful, that game,” he said.
“That was our turning point last year, because it was sort of the day where we just went, ‘right, this is not good enough. We are what we are, and it’s not very good.’
“So it was cool. I mean, the Knights, they’ve been amazing. They are an absolute threat.
“They’ve got a team that’s overcome a lot of things this year. They’ve got a young team with a lot of players on the way up and having the best seasons of their lives. They’ve got amazing support behind them. They haven’t had a lot of success over the last period of time, so that’s cool for them. An amazing footy fraternity up there, and it’s good to see them back in the big games.”
Cleary made light of the tarpaulin used to block out prying eyes, a tactic the club normally only employs for grand final week.
“We’re just trying to prepare in peace. Someone was snapping a few things behind the scenes the other day,” Cleary quipped.
“Preparation is very important for us. No one wants to go see a dress rehearsal, do they? The show’s on tomorrow, so you can all see it then.”
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