The Incident
Penrith No 7 Nathan Cleary is officially on the mend. After being stretchered off during Sunday’s 22-14 loss to Newcastle, Cleary posted a pic from his hospital bed on Monday confirming he’s already had surgery on his left foot. The vibes were definitely off on Sunday: he suffered a compound fracture and ankle dislocation that one team official lowkey compared to a gunshot wound.
The Fallout
The tackle that took him out was a hip-drop move by Newcastle’s Phoenix Crossland. Crossland has been referred straight to the judiciary and is set to miss the grand final because of it. To make matters worse, Cleary still needs another surgery on his right foot after breaking a bone there during the finals win over the Sydney Roosters. Talk about a main character-level run of bad luck.
The Dally M and Beyond
Because of these surgeries, Cleary is going to miss the Dally M ceremony on Wednesday night at Barangaroo. He’s the frontrunner to take home the top medal—the one piece of hardware he’s missing—but he won’t be there to claim it.
Why it matters
It’s been a rough week for Penrith’s depth. Dylan Edwards is dealing with a suspected PCL rupture, and Blaize Talagi suffered a ruptured achilles. Plus, Australia captain Isaah Yeo has a ruptured pectoral muscle and might have to drop out of the World Cup to focus on recovery. Real talk, the Panthers' roster is absolutely cooked right now.
