Penrith star Liam Martin says captain Nathan Cleary is doing “everything in his power” to recover in time for the Panthers’ NRL season opener in Las Vegas, following off-season shoulder surgery. Cleary is facing a race against the clock to be ready in time for the March 2 showdown against Cronulla in the United States, after going under the knife in the wake of his side’s fourth-straight premiership triumph last year.
If Cleary does recover in time, he could go into the new season a little underdone after the Panthers cancelled a trial game against the Melbourne Storm’s feeder club, the North Sydney Bears, scheduled for this weekend. Penrith had hoped Cleary and Dylan Edwards – who also underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season -would take part in the scrimmage against the Bears before the squad flies to Vegas.
But the Panthers cancelled the hit-out because the Storm are planning on using a number of Bears players in their own trial game against the Warriors on Saturday. That would leave the Bears with a significantly weakened side, with Penrith coach Ivan Cleary describing the situation to The Sydney Morning Herald as being “the grand final winner playing against a Ron Massey team (semi-professional)”.
The development is a setback for Penrith’s star halfback, who could have benefited from the hit-out after being limited to just 13 appearances last year due to hamstring injuries and his troublesome shoulder. And it means he’ll likely head into the new season without a trial game under his belt. Cleary’s off-season surgery meant he also missed the Kangaroos’ Pacific Championships campaign, but Martin says he’s “looking really good” after returning to full training with the Panthers squad.
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