Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary has revealed he is still planning to play Round 1 for the Penrith Panthers, but is still yet to resume full contact training.
Cleary hurt his shoulder in the middle of last year and avoided what could have been season-ending shoulder surgery at the time, but had to go under the knife over the off-season after nursing a not fully recovered shoulder through the finals series.
It was a decision which ultimately proved beneficial to Cleary and the Panthers as they took out the premiership, beating the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the grand final.
That followed a difficult finals series which kicked off with a loss to the Rabbitohs, before they recorded narrow wins over the Parramatta Eels and Melbourne Storm in hard-fought slugfest style games.
Cleary was always going to be racing the clock for Round 1, and told the media on Thursday that full contract training was the only thing he hasn't done yet.
“It is pretty good, it is sort of hard to gauge because I have never had it before but it is feeling better than what it was at the end of last year, a lot more solid,” Cleary said.
“Trying to progress through the stages at the moment, but we will see how it goes.
“That’s the plan, fingers crossed, you know I would love to be out there.
“Obviously it will be a pretty big occasion at our home ground against a good team like Manly first game of the season, so would love to be out there but will just have to see, obviously still in the last stages at the moment, see how it goes over the next two weeks but yeah, I’d love to be out there.
“The full contact aspect of it, it is probably the only thing I haven’t done yet, so hopefully do that in the next two weeks and just try to gain some confidence.
“I think the biggest thing is just being confident in myself that I can go out on the field and play the way I want to and not let the boys down so we will see.”
The Panthers have named Sean O'Sullivan in Cleary's spot for this week's trial against the Parramatta Eels, and it would appear he is firming for the number seven jersey if Cleary can't pass fitness.
That trial will be played on Saturday afternoon, with kick-off at 5pm (AEDT), before the Panthers open the NRL season against the Manly Sea Eagles at home on Thursday, March 10.