The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-17 · by Christian Nicolussi
Nathan Cleary is undergoing intense rehabilitation for a stress fracture in his right foot, with daily treatments including use of a hyperbaric chamber and bone stimulation machine as Penrith Panthers aim to have him ready for the preliminary final next Sunday. The club’s six-man medical team, known for successfully rehabilitating players ahead of schedule since 2021, is working around the clock to get Cleary fit, although it remains unclear when he will begin running again.
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Story summary
Nathan Cleary, the star halfback for Penrith Panthers, faces a race against time to recover from stress fractures in his right foot, suffered during the qualifying-final win over the Sydney Roosters. The injury occurred when Cleary tackled Salesi Foketi, and despite kicking a crucial field goal shortly after, he signaled to the medical team that he was injured. Cleary wore a moon boot on Thursday and missed training as his teammates prepared for their upcoming match. However, the Panthers' renowned six-man medical team—led by head physio Pete Green, rehab physio Mitch Delahay, reconditioning chief Andrew Leeds, doctors Corey Cunningham and Scott Reid, and performance director Tommy Lovell—are employing intensive recovery methods including daily visits to a hyperbaric chamber, twice-daily use of bone stimulation machines, regular icing sessions, and light physiotherapy. These efforts aim to have Cleary fit for the club’s seventh consecutive preliminary final. The NRL provided an unexpected boost by scheduling key activities that align with the recovery timeline, highlighting their support for Cleary's return.
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Nathan Cleary’s next week will feature daily visits to a hyperbaric chamber, twice-daily use of a bone stimulation machine, regular icing and light physio as he works around the clock to be fit for Penrith’s seventh straight preliminary final.
asserted
he → feature → final
The same six-man medical team that has helped Cleary and several other key members of the Panthers team get back on the field well ahead of schedule since their premiership era began in 2021 is going all out to ensure the star halfback can overcome a bone injury in his right foot.
asserted
halfback → help → foot
Cleary wore a moon boot on Thursday and was a spectator as his Panthers teammates hit the training paddock for the first time since their qualifying-final win over the Sydney Roosters.
asserted
teammates → wear → Roosters
The star halfback suffered stress fractures in his right foot, or what the club described as “a stress-related bone issue”, in the 68th minute while making a tackle on Roosters back-rower Salesi Foketi.
asserted
club → suffer → Foketi
Replays showed Cleary’s toe gripping into the ground as he swung around the back of Foketi.
asserted
he → show → Foketi
Cleary kicked a crucial field goal four minutes later, but immediately signalled to the medical team that he was in trouble.
asserted
he → kick → trouble
The NRL gave Cleary and Penrith a boost on Thursday when they scheduled their preliminary final next Sunday afternoon against the winner of the Warriors-Newcastle semi-final.
asserted
they → give → final
The Sunday timeslot gives the Penrith medical team up to 48 hours extra to rehab Cleary.
asserted
timeslot → give → Cleary
It remains to be seen when Cleary will be expected to run for the first time.
asserted
Cleary → remain → time
If he does require painkillers, it will be to the area around the foot – not the actual bone – to make him feel more comfortable.
asserted
him → require → foot
Dylan Edwards suffered a plantar fascia tear in round 13 of the 2021 season and played on for the remainder of the year before he suffered stress fractures in his foot on the eve of the finals.
asserted
he → suffer → finals
On that occasion, Edwards was kept off his feet in a boot most of the week, and only asked to complete a light fitness test two days before a game – or what is often known in rugby league circles as “G2” – to prove he was no liability.
asserted
he → keep → G2
If there is one medical team with a proven record of defying medical logic, it is that of Panthers, which consists of head physio Pete Green, rehab physio Mitch Delahay, reconditioning chief Andrew Leeds, the former Wallabies and Western Suburbs Magpies fullback, as well as sports doctors Corey Cunningham and Scott Reid and head of performance Tommy Lovell.
asserted
which → be → performance
Coach Ivan Cleary has given the medical team full control over what methods and programs they adopt with injured players, and he has done so again with his own son, whose availability or otherwise is set to prove crucial to the club’s chances of winning a fifth premiership in six seasons.
asserted
availability → give → seasons
Some of the Panthers’ comebacks have been well documented, while other injuries that should have kept players out of action have slipped under the radar.
asserted
that → document → radar
They include:
• Prop James Fisher-Harris suffering a major quad tendon tear in the 2021 semi-final against Parramatta, only to be heavily treated and restricted to one light training session a week so he could play in the preliminary final and grand final;
• Jarome Luai and Cleary returning from shoulder dislocations within in four weeks in time for the finals in 2023 and 2024;
• Liam Henry suffering a partial ACL tear at the start of this year, which the medical team chose to rehab rather than send him for surgery – a decision which now has the Perth-bound prop 160 minutes from a second title;
• Cleary missing just one game after picking up a serious hip pointer injury during Origin I, which left him struggling to sit down and sleep for three days;
• Isaah Yeo getting back on the park and playing just four weeks after rupturing his right pec.
Cleary, Yeo and several senior players at Penrith often ask themselves, “what would Api do?”, a reference to former premiership hooker Api Koroisau renowned for his healing powers.
Koroisau suffered a ligament sprain in his elbow which should have sidelined him for at least a month, but missed only one game.
Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga revealed earlier this week he had suffered similar stress fractures in his foot during the pre-season after too much long-distance running over the summer but, unlike Cleary, had the luxury of staying off his feet for almost six weeks.
Brien Seeney, known as NRL Physio on social media, gave this masthead an insight into what awaits Cleary.
“It will all be about deloading,” Seeney said.
uncertain
Seeney → include → deloading
“Ivan Cleary has already touched on the fact a lot of Nathan’s prep will have to be ‘mental’ the next few weeks – he’ll have to do that mental prep because he won’t be able to do much physical prep.
asserted
he → touch → prep
“There is a chance of doing more damage, but it won’t be catastrophic damage.
asserted
it → be → damage
If there’s already a stress response there, you can make the small crack a bigger crack.
asserted
crack → ’ → ?
But it’s not life changing, it just means he needs eight to ten weeks recovery over the off-season, rather than four to six weeks.
asserted
he → ’ → weeks
“The thing that will put most pressure on it will be exploding off the mark, jumping and landing, and changing direction.
asserted
that → put → direction
Kicking wouldn’t put as much pressure on it compared to sprinting off the mark.”
asserted
Kicking → kick → mark
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