Missing the club’s Game 24 loss to the Storm, Penrith Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary has given an update on his timetable for his return from injury.
The star half-back, who missed the entire State of Origin series this year with a hamstring injury, also had to deal with a shoulder problem during the first half of the campaign.
After returning to the team after missing a large part of the games, he suffered a shoulder injury on the 24th, prompting fears that he would be out for the rest of the season.
At the time, the NRL physio believed the injury could be a matter of “instability”, with recovery ranging from two weeks to six months, depending on the nature of the injury.
However, Cleary remains confident of his return in the coming weeks as the Panthers battle for a deep finals run. “It’s about seven at the moment,” Cleary told Channel 9 on Friday.
“It will be ten in a few weeks.”
As Cleary counts down the days until his return from injury, the Cronulla Sharks, Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters have emerged as the biggest threats to Penrith’s title chances as they look to make it four straight wins.
After narrowly losing out to the Storm, Clive Churchill’s reigning medalist believes they are the ones to take down Penrith in the 2024 NRL final, praising their opponent five-eighth Cameron Munster.
“I think about the Storm. His back is elite,” he added. “When he [Cameron Munster] runs with the ball, they are very dangerous. He gives that X-factor that few teams have.”
After beating the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday night, the Panthers will face the Gold Coast Titans in the final game of the regular season next week.
Although a win is almost certain, they will be keen to hold on to second place in the NRL standings, which will guarantee them a home finals in week one.