Scans confirm Origin fears for injured Cleary

UPDATE: Penrith has confirmed Nathan Cleary volition miss "up to six weeks" with a hamstring injury.

The quality means the superstar halfback volition decidedly miss the 2nd State of Origin game, and astir surely the 3rd arsenic well, leaving New South Wales needing a caller No.7.

The Blues halfback limped from the tract clutching astatine his near hamstring during the archetypal fractional of the Panthers' lucifer against the Dragons successful Penrith.

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Cleary suffered the wounded portion moving successful a sliding antiaircraft enactment astatine BlueBet Stadium.

He was intelligibly shattered arsenic helium near the tract with a trainer and limped up the race.

Panthers manager Ivan Cleary gave a grim appraisal of the wounded successful his property conference.

"We're going to beryllium without him for a while", said the Penrith coach.

"I'm not a doc but it's a important injury.

"We'll get scans time and we'll cognize more.

"I deliberation he'd beryllium precise improbable (for crippled two), but I'm not a doctor."

Blues advisor Greg Alexander offered his reaction to the wounded stroke successful his relation arsenic a Fox League commentator.

"You could archer that helium was successful occupation immediately. I deliberation you could spot by the look connected his look that helium knows it's much than conscionable a twinge," Alexander said.

"As helium tried to instrumentality disconnected determination you could spot him hobbling back into spot and past erstwhile it was tested helium was instantly disconnected the field.

"And Nathan Cleary is simply a pugnacious footballer, truthful you're reasoning ... there's got to beryllium superior issues there."

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The Blues volition apt displacement Nicho Hynes into the No.7 jumper, partnering the Sharks playmaker successful the halves with Jarome Luai.

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In the lead-up to crippled one, which Queensland won 26-18 astatine Adelaide Oval connected Wednesday night, determination were calls from respected rugby league figures to axe Luai and humor Hynes astatine five-eighth.

When Cleary was scrubbed from crippled 3 of the 2021 decider owed to a dislocated shoulder, Eels halfback Mitchell Moses took his spot, before the Maroons won 20-18 to forestall a Blues whitewash.

Hynes, Moses and Broncos seasoned Adam Reynolds volition each beryllium successful the premix to regenerate Cleary if he's deemed unavailable. Cody Walker is besides apt successful calculations.

Cleary's wounded stroke connected Sunday nighttime followed the withdrawal of gun centre Latrell Mitchell 2 days earlier the Origin opener, with the South Sydney ace suffering a calf wounded during a grooming session.

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