- Nathan Cleary is sidelined with a hamstring injury
- Scans will determine how long Cleary will be out
- Hammer blow for NSW ahead of the Origin series opener
- Substitute Brad Schneider will also be out with knee problems
They are the NRL’s undisputed benchmark but Panthers staff, players and fans cursed their luck on Friday following injuries to halfbacks Nathan Cleary and substitute Brad Schneider.
While Cleary’s hamstring adjustment could prove serious for the NSW Blues ahead of the State of Origin series opener on June 5, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary declared the ‘show goes on.’
‘He’s actually quite devastated, it’s very disappointing for him. Obviously right now I’m torn between his coach and his father,” the Panthers coach said at the post-game press conference.
“I thought he really started to come into his own in that first half. But hey, whatever, the show goes on.
Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury. He is also expected to miss the opening match of the Origin Series on June 5 with NSW.
In a double blow for the Panthers, Brad Schneider was also injured during the NSW Cup curtain-raiser, leaving the club without two halfbacks.
“He did it like a sprint and dive… “He [then] I felt it immediately, so he knew: that would indicate it was decent.’
In the earlier NSW Cup match with the Bulldogs, Schneider – who was recruited by the club in the off-season as a back-up to Cleary – injured his knee after a nasty attack attempt.
Cleary spoke for many Panthers fans when he lamented “we lost two in one night.”
Scans will determine the severity of Cleary’s hamstring problems – and his coach is bracing for bad news.
He has also not ruled out sending the playmaker abroad to work with US-based rehabilitation expert Bill Knowles.
‘It is a concern, yes, but I am not qualified to give any certainty about that [medical] judge,” Cleary said.
‘WWe will treat it on its merits and go from there.”
