A "shattered" Nathan Cleary is the latest big name to suffer an injury, leaving Penrith's 16-10 victory over Canterbury-Bankstown just before half-time with a hamstring injury.
Cleary has already spent four weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring strain, and appears set to remain on the sideline for at least a couple of weeks.
"It's very disappointing for him," Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said.
"He felt it straight away, that would suggest it's … decent.
"It hasn't been an ongoing thing … He's basically trained for two weeks without any drama.
"I'm torn between his coach and his dad right now as well.
"Anyway, [the] show goes on.
"We need to get a scan and see the damage and go from there."
Penrith said the star halfback will undergo a scan on Saturday.
The injury comes hot on the heels of Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic suffering a grade two hamstring tear in Thursday's clash with the Dolphins.
The Panthers struggled without Cleary on the field, failing to add any further tries to those scored by Luke Garner and Brian To'o as the hosts took a 12-0 lead into half-time.
However, despite the Bulldogs scoring through Matt Burton and Jacob Kiraz late in the second period, two penalty goals from Dylan Edwards ensured the Panthers claimed the victory to remain third on the NRL ladder.
In Friday's late game, the Broncos subdued the under-fire Eels to claim a 30-14 victory in atrocious conditions in Parramatta.
The Broncos led 18-8 at half-time despite being second-best, in part down to two breakaway scores to Reece Walsh and Deine Mariner, who scored a double.
Ezra Mam and Selwyn Cobbo both scored stunning tries to condemn the Eels to a fifth defeat of the season.
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
Story by : Simon Smale
Original story : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-10/nrl-live-updates-friday-night-panthers-bulldogs-eels-broncos/103820620
