Nathan Cleary has been ruled out of the Pacific Championships in a blow for the Kangaroos due to a knee injury he suffered early in NRL grand final. The Penrith halfback has his leg caught underneath Broncos forward Payne Haas in the 10th minute, and got up gingerly.
Cleary was the game-changer for the Panthers as his all-time performance saw him drag his team to a third-straight NRL premiership. The halfback has entered elite territory and has been compared with the game’s legends after his performance.
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On Tuesday, Cleary was once again selected for the Kangaroos for the upcoming Pacific Tests having helped guide Australia to a World Cup win last year. But he was withdrawn from the squad just 24 hours later after succumbing to the injury.
Nathan Cleary has been ruled out of the Pacific Championships in a blow for the Kangaroos due to a knee injury he suffered early in NRL grand final. The Penrith halfback has his leg caught underneath Broncos forward Payne Haas in the 10th minute, and got up gingerly.
Cleary was the game-changer for the Panthers as his all-time performance saw him drag his team to a third-straight NRL premiership. The halfback has entered elite territory and has been compared with the game’s legends after his performance.
INTERESTING: Meninga ‘surprised’ by Mitchell call amid Kangaroos squad uproar
‘SO BAD’: Nathan Cleary’s ‘awful’ admission in post-match interview
CLASSY: Dylan Edwards act comes to light after ‘pathetic’ Panthers move
On Tuesday, Cleary was once again selected for the Kangaroos for the upcoming Pacific Tests having helped guide Australia to a World Cup win last year. But he was withdrawn from the squad just 24 hours later after succumbing to the injury.
Nicho Hynes has been brought into the squad as a result, while Daly Cherry-Evans will likely become the first-choice halfback. Paas was hit with an $1800 fine for the tackle on Cleary, which was deeme to be a hip-drop.
“I rang our guys who then rang Penrith’s medical team, and they told us he’ll definitely go for scans to see what the extent of the injury is,” Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga said on Tuesday. “At this stage he’s still celebrating, and rightly so. We’ve got ‘Cherry’ [Daly Cherry-Evans], so we can keep Nathan in the squad and have him available for the New Zealand game if needed. We’ll see what happens.
NRL Physio’ Brien Seeney commented that Cleary could have sustained an MCL sprain with Haas’ full weight appearing to land on his leg. Cleary’s injury isn’t thought to be overly serious and won’t keep him out long term.
Nicho Hynes has been brought into the squad as a result, while Daly Cherry-Evans will likely become the first-choice halfback. Paas was hit with an $1800 fine for the tackle on Cleary, which was deeme to be a hip-drop.
“I rang our guys who then rang Penrith’s medical team, and they told us he’ll definitely go for scans to see what the extent of the injury is,” Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga said on Tuesday. “At this stage he’s still celebrating, and rightly so. We’ve got ‘Cherry’ [Daly Cherry-Evans], so we can keep Nathan in the squad and have him available for the New Zealand game if needed. We’ll see what happens.”
