Penrith Panthers head coach Ivan Cleary has revealed he should have made the call to rest son Nathan earlier in the week.
Penrith made a surprise call 24 hours before kick-off during what turned into a beatdown of the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Thursday evening, electing to withdraw Nathan Cleary from the game.
The star halfback had only returned from a hamstring the week before during a clash against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville.
While the New South Wales State of Origin general appeared to make it through that contest without issue, the coach said following Thursday night's game that a five-day turnaround was always going to be tough, although confirmed his son had trained during the week, and would be back next weekend for a Round 10 clash against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
“He did everything (during the week). We didn't do much, but he did (train),” Ivan Cleary said during the post-match press conference.
“We should have made the call earlier based on the situation we were in. It was always going to be difficult coming back from a hamstring injury playing in Townsville and then five days later trying to back it up.
"We wanted to see how he would go yesterday, hoping he'd get through it without any dramas.
"In the end, it just seemed to be too much risk.
“That was my fault.”
The halfback's return in Round 8 against the Cowboys was his first game since Round 3, and just his fourth game of the season.
The coach also confirmed there were no issues with Dylan Edwards, who was benched with ten minutes to go, with his exit from the fullback role for the last minutes of the game simply about giving the star a rest.
Penrith's clash against the Bulldogs next week will shape as Stephen Crichton's first game against his old side.