Penrith Panthers star Nathan Cleary has been ruled out of Thursday night's clash with the Melbourne Storm due to a head knock.
The halfback suffered the head knock last weekend and due to the five-day turnaround, will not line-up in the grand final rematch.
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The Panthers confirmed Cleary's omission in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
"Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has revealed Nathan Cleary will not play in tomorrow’s game against the Storm," Penrith tweeted.
it is a major blow for the Panthers as they look to avenge last year's grand final loss.
However, it is a positive that the Panthers took a conservative approach with the 23-year old as the NRL looks to be more judicious with head knocks.
The grand final rematch between Penrith and Melbourne will kick off at 8.05pm at BlueBet Stadium AEDT.