‘His rehab is going well’: Nathan Cleary return date locked in as Panthers refuse to rush back their star playmaker

The Panthers are cautiously optimistic that champion halfback Nathan Cleary will make his return from a hamstring injury for their round 20 match against the Dolphins next month, effectively ruling him out of a miracle comeback for the Blues in game 3.

Cleary hasn’t played since scans revealed a grade 2 hamstring tear against the Bulldogs in round 10 in what was just his second game back from a similar injury suffered in the grand final rematch.

The triple premiership winner has been restricted to just five appearances this season after he conjured the greatest grand final comeback last year, but the Panthers have handled his absence well to sit second with the best defensive record.

The initial timeline on his return was for Cleary to miss eight weeks, but it looks like Panthers fans will have to wait a little longer for their home match on July 21, ruling him out of a shock comeback for Origin III.

“We’re hopeful (that he’ll be back) after our next bye,” Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said.

“We’ve got a couple of games and then a bye, but that hasn’t been confirmed. He’s steadily going through his rehab and it’s going well. Let’s hope he keeps going well.

“That was a fairly loose target and it hasn’t been confirmed, but his rehab is going well.

“(His return date) has nothing to do with how we’ve been playing. This decision was made from the time he had the second injury.

“The bye is a part of it because if your team’s not here, you miss full team training which actually adds to the length of the rehab. At this stage everything is on track.”

Cleary has resumed training but is weeks away from peak fitness, with the Panthers unwilling to risk their most important player as they chase a fourth title in a row.

“He’s running but he’s a bit off hitting top speed and doing everything with the team. He’s gradually getting there,” his dad said.

“He’s well aware of the plan and everything involved. The last thing we all want is a re-injury.

“We’ve probably done more this time in and around looking into as many things as we could find (to help him) and we’re really comfortable with the approach we’ve taken. We’re very confident he’ll be fine.”