Nathan Cleary at risk of missing NRL opener after gruesome pre-season incident
Nathan Cleary.
Penrith Panthers face a nervous wait to discover whether or not they will be without superstar half-back Nathan Cleary for the opening round of the new NRL season.
The Australia half-back was involved in a brutal incident in the Panthers’ pre-season challenge defeat to Wests Tigers on Friday, which led to him being sent to the sin-bin.
Cleary caught rookie winger Heamasi Makasini with a clear high shot that will potentially leave him sweating over whether or not he could cop a suspension from the NRL judiciary process.
That panel will meet at the start of next week and determine whether or not Cleary’s tackle was sufficient enough to land him a charge.
A Grade 1 charge would likely mean he is fine to feature against defending NRL premiers Brisbane Broncos at the start of March. But anything more, and it would leave Penrith with a major problem to contend with.
The Panthers had a difficult start to 2025 and are facing a repeat of that if they lose Cleary for any period of time. Jack Cogger, the former Huddersfield Giants half-back, would likely have to come in and replace Cleary if he was suspended.
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Penrith have a tough draw to start the season too, making the possible loss of Cleary doubly serious.
Makasini stole the show for the Tigers as they defeated the Panthers 26-12 to go two from two in the pre-season challenge, with an unbelievable solo try.
Cleary had his moments in attack too, but it was the tackle on Makasini that was the big talking point and led to him being shown a yellow card and sent to the sin-bin.
He and Penrith now face a nervous wait to learn whether or not there will be a charge. The Panthers do not play next week, with the opening round of the new season split over a fortnight due to the Las Vegas trip.
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