Penrith has confirmed that Nathan Cleary will make his return from his recent hamstring injury to play against Canterbury in round 10. Meanwhile, Wests Tigers captain Api Koroisau is set to sit out Saturday’s match against the Bulldogs due to a back injury.
The decision to withdraw Cleary from Thursday’s game against South Sydney, despite his participation in the captain’s run the day before, was a precautionary measure by the Panthers. Concerns arose after Cleary experienced tightness in his hamstring following the round-eight match against North Queensland, coupled with the short five-day turnaround between games. Brad Schneider stepped in as Cleary’s replacement and played a pivotal role in Penrith’s victory.
Coach Ivan Cleary took responsibility for not resting his son earlier in the week to allow Schneider more preparation time with the team. He expressed confidence in Cleary’s availability for the upcoming match against the Bulldogs.
As for Koroisau, despite initial optimism from coach Benji Marshall regarding his participation, the NSW State of Origin player will be absent from the Tigers’ lineup due to his back injury. Koroisau’s absence was confirmed after he missed training sessions following his early departure in the previous game against Brisbane.
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