The Panthers have secured yet another win, beating a Bulldogs outfit littered with their former players 16-10 at BlueBet Stadium.
While Ivan Cleary has secured two points, it’s not been a positive night for Penrith who look set to be without superstar halfback Nathan Cleary for an extended period.
The gun No.7 sat out of his side’s Round 9 clash nursing a hamstring but has once again re-injured himself in a big blow for his club side and also the NSW Blues.
“Devastating news,” Fox League’s Lara Pitt said.
“We do know it was the hamstring he was returning from. He is devastated, he’s iced up and he’s no good.”
Defence was the highlight of this clash, with a low-scoring affair being played out as Stephen Crichton and Jaeman Salmon played against their former team for the first time.
Meanwhile, Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau are also former Panthers alongside current head coach Cameron Ciraldo who was Cleary’s assist before making the move to Belmore.
The first four-pointer of the clash came through Luke Garner who beat multiple defenders to burst over the line.
Next was Brian To’o who also barged past several defenders to get the ball down and take a 12-0 halftime lead.
The Panthers were unable to score in the final 40 minutes, and Burton got his name on the scoresheet with an impressive try
Then on the final siren, Jacob Kiraz was able to cross for a consolation try before Burton put the finishing touches on the game with a successful sideline conversion.
LOOK AWAY MADGE
Oh, not again.
Penrith’s champion halfback Nathan Cleary re-injured his troublesome right hamstring in his team’s win over the Bulldogs.
It’s opened the door for Mitchell Moses to keep his Blues No. 7 jersey for the opening State of Origin game in less than a month.
Moses has been sidelined after having surgery on a foot injury, but is reportedly eyeing a return to the field in Magic Round according to The Daily Telegraph.
However, he faces stiff competition from Nicho Hynes, who could also wear the No.6 and was one of the frontrunners to partner Cleary.
Jarome Luai and Matt Burton also are in contention to play five-eighth for the Blues and the latter scored against his former team on Friday night.
Cleary has endured a stop-start season with his persistent hamstring problem that just won’t go away.
Cleary missed three games early in the season after tearing his hamstring in round 3 before returning then missing last week’s match against Souths as a precaution.
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