Penrith's hopes of a fifth premiership in six years could again hinge on Nathan Cleary's fitness, after his joy at avoiding a finals ban was dampened by confirmation of bone damage in his foot.
Cleary was on Monday handed a grade-one dangerous contact charge for collecting Hugo Savala's leg after the Sydney Rooster kicked in Penrith's 19-12 qualifying-final win.
That charge only carries with it a $1000 fine with an early guilty plea, meaning Cleary can breathe a sigh of relief with no ban.
But the bigger issue is now Cleary's foot, after Penrith confirmed he had "sustained a stress-related bone issue in his foot".
Cleary had appeared to tell a Panthers physio it was "f***ed" soon after kicking his match-winning field goal in Sunday's victory.
The two-time Clive Churchill Medallist had scans on Monday, with Penrith now tight-lipped on Cleary's exact path forward..
"Cleary will continue to be assessed and monitored by the Panthers medical team," the Panthers said in a statement.
It would likely take astronomical damage for Cleary to miss Penrith's preliminary final, or grand final if they again win through to the decider.
The Panthers have the best part of two weeks to rest up before taking on the Warriors or Newcastle, and the star halfback could take a pain-killing injection if required.
Penrith are also no strangers to having men play through injury in vital games.
Cleary's co-captain Isaah Yeo is playing this finals series after delaying surgery on a ruptured pec, while fullback Dylan Edwards soldiered on with a broken foot in 2021.
Cleary himself battled on after a dislocated shoulder in 2021, and needed shoulder surgery again when Penrith lifted their fourth straight title in 2024.
Penrith's title runs have often hinged on Cleary's foot. His kicking has been key in all four of premierships.
But the bigger question would likely be how much the injury or any treatment impacts Cleary's ability to run, step and kick through the rest of this finals series.
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In the unlikely event Cleary is out, Penrith have Jack Cogger returning from suspension for the preliminary final, with Jack Cole having been solid at No.6.
Blaize Talagi could also return to the halves. He filled in at centre on Sunday after being dropped last month.
"It's incredible the depth we have," second-rower Liam Martin said.
"Jack's (Cole) been unbelievable the last three weeks. His defence has been incredibly strong, his attack, his running game.
"He's playing with such confidence. It's awesome to see. He's always had the talent and worked hard. I'm really glad to see him get his chance."
Meanwhile, the match review committee's call to hand Cleary a grade-one charge saved Penrith weighing up a monumental decision.
Had Cleary been handed a grade-two charge, the Penrith halfback would have been facing a one-game ban and the reality of being rubbed out of the preliminary final.
If Penrith had fought the charge and lost, that ban would have extended to the grand final.
Manly prop Josh Aloiai and South Sydney forward Jacob Host received grade-two charges in 2024 for making contact with kickers.
Canberra's Zac Hosking was fined for a similar incident in last year's finals, while Melbourne's Harry Grant had a charge overturned at the judiciary in 2024.
Speaking before Cleary escaped with a fine, Cronulla half Nicho Hynes called for consistency.
"Sometimes people get suspended for it, sometimes you won't," Hynes said.
"I love Nathan and he's a really good guy and you don't want to see your best players getting stamped out of the final series.
"But whatever's warranted is warranted. As long as it's equal for every player across the board, then that's all that matters.
"You've got to treat everyone the same, regardless of whether you're the face of the game or you're not."
