Nathan Cleary has escaped with a fine for dangerous contact after he was sin-binned in the Panthers’ qualifying final victory over the Roosters on Sunday. But the Penrith superstar isn’t out of the woods just yet and is still seemingly in danger of missing the prelim.
Cleary injured his foot in the second half of the 19-12 win and opted not to take the final conversion. Dylan Edwards took the kick instead after Cleary appeared to say to a Penrith physio “my foot is f***ed”.
Nathan Cleary has avoided suspension after being sin-binned. Image: Getty/Channel 9
Cleary had earlier nailed a field-goal attempt to make it 13-12, but it was a wobbly old kick and he was seen hobbling afterwards. AAP is reporting that the injury is serious enough that Cleary will get scans this week.
Dylan Edwards took the last conversion instead of Nathan Cleary. Image: Channel 9
Thankfully for Penrith they have a full two weeks before playing the grand final qualifier against the winner of the Warriors and Knights semi-final. “I just copped a little bump on the foot,” Cleary said on Fox League after full-time.
“It was a pretty important kick, so I just wanted Dyl (Edwards) to take it. I wasn’t sure how it would hold up goal kicking. It was just precautionary.”
Panthers coach Ivan Cleary admitted in his post-match press conference there was “something wrong” with his son’s foot. Time will tell whether it’s enough to keep him out of a preliminary final, but Cleary has played with serious injuries in finals games in the past.
Nathan Cleary avoids NRL suspension
If the scans come back clear the Panthers will breathe a double sigh of relief. On Monday morning the match review committee ruled Cleary’s contact on Hugo Savala to be a Grade 1 charge, which carries a $1000 fine instead of a ban.
Had it been ruled a Grade 2 it would have been a two-match suspension, or one with an early guilty plea. Cleary was saved by the fact Savala wasn’t injured on the play and got straight back to his feet.
“He just got the wrong angle,” Ivan said after the game. “It’s one of those rules that has come in over the past couple of years and sometimes in the heat of the battle you forget. He (Savala) is not injured. It’s just a black-and-white thing they have brought in.”
