Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has provided an update on the injury to his son and star halfback Nathan Cleary.
The 26-year-old and two-time Clive Churchill Medal winner was a notable omission when team lists were announced on Tuesday. Cleary is battling a hamstring injury he sustained in last week's Grand Final rematch against the Brisbane Broncos.
It is his second hamstring injury in recent times after he was ruled out of the final two State of Origin games last year with a left hamstring strain.
Already ruled out of Thursday's game against the Sydney Roosters, he may also be ruled out of next week's clash against the Manly Sea Eagles - this is because the club may decide to give him an extra week to recover due to the Round 6 bye.
“Injuries come and go, so it's just one of those things,” Ivan Cleary said via NCA Newswire.
“Nat seems to have a sabbatical every year, this one's a bit earlier. It's an opportunity for others. It's not too bad, so that's the pleasing thing. He felt the same thing last year before he actually did it properly.
“The fact that he had that experience means we cut this one off a bit sooner. Hopefully, it'll only be a couple of weeks.
“He actually might be able to play next week. With the bye coming up the following week, it's just going to be a question of seeing how he goes throughout this week, and we'll make an educated decision next week.”
Cleary's replacement will be former Canberra Raiders halfback Brad Schneider, while Mavrik Geyer will make his NRL debut this week in place of Scott Sorensen - the back-rower was seen on Tuesday in a knee brace and is out for an indefinite period of time.
Geyer, the son of former Penrith Panthers premiership winner Mark Geyer, and has been biding his time in the NSW Cup for the past three seasons.
“It's an exciting time for him and his family. He's been very patient and he's really knuckled down over the last couple of years. He's worked really hard for this and I think he's ready, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes,” Cleary said.
“I didn't get the joy of playing with MG, but I played against him and tried to avoid him as much as I could. They're a little bit different and the game is a bit different these days. I haven't seen that (mean streak)."
“He's a bit of a late bloomer who didn't really get serious about his footy until probably three years ago. He's been playing well at Cup level and training really well. This pre-season has been outstanding and he's ready now to take the next step.”