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Live sport on SN this weekendCould get worse: Penrith make big prelim call on Cleary
Scott Bailey, AAP •  September 26th, 2026 4:02 pm
The Panthers are rolling the dice with Nathan Cleary, who will play through injury | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Penrith have admitted Nathan Cleary is at risk of doing more damage to his injured foot, but insist the superstar halfback will be right to go against Newcastle.
Cleary walked freely into Panthers headquarters on Saturday morning, moments after his father Ivan declared him fit to play in Sunday's preliminary final at Accor Stadium.
The playmaker's right foot has been the talking point of the finals series, ever since he hobbled through the final 10 minutes of Penrith's week-one win over the Sydney Roosters.
It's unclear if Nathan Cleary's kicking game will be affected by the foot injury | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
The Panthers have remained tight-lipped on the specifics of the injury, other than to confirm the two-time Clive Churchill Medal winner has a "stress-related bone issue".
"There's enough on (the scans) that there's something wrong with it," coach Ivan Cleary said on Saturday.
"They're not always conclusive as well, so you've got to go by clinical (diagnosis). Where it's: 'how's that feel? Can you walk?'.
"It basically worked out enough that it's an injury that could get worse for sure.
"So it's been a period of trying to manage it the best we can so we can get him to play."
Coach Ivan Cleary says he's watched his son's meticulous approach to his recovery | Photo: Mark Evans/AAP
Penrith have a remarkable record of getting injured players to perform in big games, including nursing Dylan Edwards through a stress fracture in his foot for the 2021 premiership.
If the Panthers were to win through to face the Sydney Roosters in next Sunday's grand final, a similar challenge would again likely await their halfback.
The Panthers No. 7 did complete a session under lights on Friday night, and was also spotted doing some light duties earlier in the week.
After requiring a moon boot on his kicking foot for most of last week, Ivan had suggested early on that his son would need to rely on heavily mental visualisation to prepare.
And while the Panthers coach stopped short of confirming the halfback would be able to kick freely on Sunday, he was adamant he would be able to "play how he plays".
"He'll be ready. He's done a bit of everything," Cleary said.
"He's actually living with us at the moment, so I've actually seen it firsthand how much he's actually done.
"It's crazy. He's left no stone unturned.
"This is what the players dream about. It's why they go through all the hard work in pre-season and all the way through the year is to get themselves in this arena.
"They're all true competitors and they find ways to get out there and perform."
Jack Cole has been given the nod as playmaker ahead of Jack Cogger | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
The other big call for coach Cleary is whether he keeps Jack Cole at No. 6, after naming him there earlier this week.
Jack Cogger is back from suspension and on the interchange bench, and is generally regarded to have a stronger kicking game that could aid the injured halfback if required.
"Coley's just done his job," coach Cleary said.
"He's waited in the wings for a long time. He started last year when Jarome (Luai) left and didn't quite nail it and then sort of went back and worked on a few things.
"Ultimately, he's come in at a big time of year and he's done his job for the team and that's the sort of kid he is.
"He's tough. He plays well and I feel like he's got more confidence over the last few weeks as well."
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