Penrith Panthers’ standout halfback Nathan Cleary continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Penrith Panthers’ standout halfback and captain, Nathan Cleary, has encountered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, Cleary is still a few weeks away from his comeback and faces a race against time to be fit for the clash against the Wests Tigers in Bathurst next week.

Unfortunately, Cleary’s progress hasn’t been as swift as the club had hoped. Consequently, he is expected to make his return in the subsequent round, when the Panthers take on the North Queensland Cowboys.

The injury setback for the two-time Clive Churchill Medal winner occurred during a match against the Brisbane Broncos earlier this season, in a rematch of the 2023 Grand Final. This incident marked Cleary’s second hamstring injury in recent times, following his absence from the final two State of Origin games last year due to a left hamstring strain.

Updates regarding Cleary’s injury status emerged from The Sydney Morning Herald following his latest update at the end of March. Speaking on Channel 9, Cleary provided insights into the nature of his injury: “It’s a little hammy tear. It’s definitely not the same as last year… It’s probably what happened before I did the actual tear last year, it’s really minor. It’s the other leg as well.”

Despite the setback, Cleary expressed confidence in managing the injury, stating, “If it was a grand final last week I could have played. It’s about managing the workload around extras and kicking… It’s more so the mental reps now and plan my week with that.”