Nathan Cleary has taken a major step towards playing Sunday's NRL preliminary final, ditching his moon boot in favour of a pair of teal adidas football boots as he made a surprise appearance at Penrith Panthers training on Tuesday — a sight that will bring enormous relief to Panthers supporters anxious about their halfback's fitness.
The star No.7 was spotted moving freely on a cool, cloudy afternoon at Panthers headquarters, completing stretching exercises and visualisation drills at one end of the ground. He also used a stepper to activate his leg muscles before joining his teammates for a light run — encouraging signs just days out from the club's clash against the Newcastle Knights.
What is Cleary's injury and how serious is it?
Cleary sustained a "stress-related bone issue" in his right foot during the second half of Penrith's qualifying final victory over the Sydney Roosters. The principal concern has been the risk of a micro fracture developing into a more serious break if the halfback is subjected to excessive load too soon.
Penrith's medical team, which earned widespread admiration earlier this season for returning co-captain Isaah Yeo to the field within just four weeks of a ruptured pectoral muscle, spent last week working intensively on Cleary. Treatment methods included a hyperbaric chamber, a bone stimulation machine, icing and targeted physiotherapy.
Cleary has since been named at halfback for Sunday's preliminary final, with Blaize Talagi retained in the centres and Yeo named to start at lock. Paul Alamoti remains unavailable, with the winger still sidelined by a hamstring complaint.
Teammates back Cleary to take the field
Yeo, who knows better than most what Penrith's medical staff are capable of achieving, expressed confidence his co-captain would be ready to go.
"He would have been sore if we needed to play last weekend, but it's settled down a bit, and hopefully, it's all systems go," Yeo said on Tuesday. "I'm confident he'll be named and ready to go."
Reserve playmaker Jack Cogger, who has been named in the No.14 jersey with Jack Cole listed at five-eighth, said Cleary was odds-on to line up but stressed the squad was prepared for every contingency.
"I've shown throughout the year when [Cleary] has been involved in Origin or other things that I'll be there, and whether that's in the first minute or 70th minute, I'll try to make it as seamless as possible for the team, and make sure we get the job done," Cogger said.
"But he'll be there. You just have to cover all your bases all the time. You don't want to carry an injury into a game, but things happen in footy, and you have to be prepared for it all the time."
What Tuesday's session means for Sunday's game
While it would arguably have been a major shock had Cleary been ruled out of a preliminary final entirely, Tuesday's training session significantly strengthens the likelihood he will take his place in the starting side. The vision of the game's most influential halfback moving without obvious restriction will be deeply unwelcome news for Newcastle's camp as the Knights prepare for their shot at a grand final berth.
Elsewhere in the finals picture, the Sydney Roosters have named Sam Walker at halfback despite an ankle complaint, retaining Billy Smith in the centres, with Hugo Savala listed in the No.18 jersey for Friday night's first preliminary final against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.
For Penrith, however, all eyes remain firmly on Cleary. If Tuesday's session is any guide, the Panthers' most important player should be lacing up those teal boots again come Sunday afternoon.
