AT 4:25pm last Sunday, and with just 4 minutes remaining before halftime, Panther’s star halfback Nathan Cleary was the victim of a “hip-drop” tackle that shockingly saw him lay motionless, knowing instantly the magnitude of what had just taken place.
A terrible compound fracture of his ankle saw an instant hush around the ground, and by the crowd, not truly believing what they had just witnessed.
As the Panther medical crew swarmed upon their fallen hero to quickly administer the ‘green whistle’ for the obvious pain he was experiencing, the culprit in the tackle gone wrong, Phoenix Crossland, was called out by the referee for only one reason. Instant expulsion from the ground, Sent Off! Which saw the Panthers kick a penalty goal, then a try to Lindsay Smith right on half time had the Panthers up 14-6 into the break.
Now this is where I explain to those that cannot for the life of them work out how a team of 12 (Newcastle) keeps a team with their full complement (Penrith) scoreless in the second half and wins 22-14, scoring 16 of their own points with only 12 men for 45 minutes.
I’ll tell you why, it’s because the Panther players had just experienced their own form of grief, sporting grief. Watching your star player exit a contest in such a graphic way takes more than 40 minutes to get over, indeed it’s quite surreal to see something so left of field happen in a sporting contest.
The Panthers just weren’t ‘with it’ in the second forty for obvious reasons. After starting from the bench Cleary was brought into the action at the 25th minute, and from the get-go it was as if he was trying to get his other broken foot moving. Uncharacteristically, he ran the footy the first four times he had it in his arms. On the 4th time the injury occurred.
There are some asking, “why did he play if his foot was worse than everyone thought?” Because Nathan Cleary at 70 percent is better than most halfbacks in the comp.
Unfortunately, after now hearing he will need both legs operated on, that 70 percent may have been closer to 50%. So sure, it was a roll of the dice, but to watch how the Panthers played in the second half of Sundays prelim without him demonstrates how valuable he is to his team in big games.
It was an incredibly sombre way for the Panthers to end their 2026 campaign, with young centre Blaize Talagi also rupturing his Achilles with 13 minutes remaining on the clock!
But let’s take nothing away from the victors Newcastle. They were tenacious, doggard, and totally unyielding in their pursuit of victory. Sandon Smith was extraordinary, scoring a double. As were their entire team to be honest. This time last season they could only watch from afar these post-season games after claiming the unwanted moniker of wooden-spooners. They are now playing in a grand final this Sunday against the Roosters! What a turnaround. Bravo Justin Holbrook. Amazing.
Sunday’s game was actually quite traumatic not just for Panther fans but for Rugby League fans. To see such an unpleasant injury occur in our game is always a hard watch. When it happens to our game’s best player it’s downright surreal. Best of wishes to Nathan and his family as we all wish him a hasty, uncomplicated recovery.
As for who wins the “Big dance” this Sunday? The Roosters have the firepower in every facet of the game, but the Knights have undeniable momentum which sometimes is impossible to stop. They have now beaten Souths, the Warriors, and the Panthers to be the real fairytale story of the competition. Knights to win their first comp since 2001, 24 points to 20!
MG (random Westie) OAM
