Nathan Cleary will require surgery on both feet, with his father Ivan revealing the superstar halfback had been playing on a broken right foot before suffering a compound fracture of his left ankle.
In the gruesome aftermath to the Panthers’ 22–14 preliminary final loss to Newcastle, it was revealed Dylan Edwards played through a ruptured PCL, Isaah Yeo a ruptured pec, and Blaize Talagi came off with an Achilles rupture.
The injuries ultimately cursed the Panthers, who led the Knights 14–6 at half-time, and will likely have long-term ramifications for Australia in the end-of-season World Cup.
Penrith had hoped to get Cleary through Sunday’s game unscathed after keeping him and his injured right foot on the bench for the opening 25 minutes.
But 10 minutes later the superstar halfback was exiting the field on the back of a medicab sucking on a green whistle, after a hip-drop tackle from Newcastle hooker Phoenix Crossland.
Crossland was sent off, with Cleary’s ankle also dislocated and his mother, Bec, among those in the stands in tears.
“He watched the game in the ambulance, but it made him feel worse probably,” coach and father Ivan Cleary said.
“I went and saw him at half-time and saw the whole crew and my family were in there. That was a bit hard, it was a bit emotional. But the show goes on.”
Dynasties and destinies swing on Cleary’s horror ankle injury
Cleary also confirmed his son had been battling a broken bone in his right foot. Penrith had previously been coy about the nature of a “stress-related bone issue”.
The Penrith halfback had been in doubt for Sunday’s match in the lead-up, after he limped through the end of their week-one win over the Sydney Roosters.
“He’ll have to get the other foot done as well because that was broken as well,” Ivan Cleary said.
“That’s why I was even more emotional with what happened to him because I knew what he went through to get himself right to play today.”
Beyond their halfback, Edwards was hurt when making a break in the opening half and Talagi limped off with 13 minutes to play.
Yeo, meanwhile, returned from a ruptured pec to play in the finals. He will now require surgery, with the Kangaroos captain in doubt for the World Cup.
AAP