Nathan Cleary set to miss State of Origin as Blues hit by injury crisis

NSW half-back Nathan Cleary could miss the entire State of Origin series after scans confirmed a grade two hamstring injury that will sideline him for eight weeks. The champion Penrith playmaker re-injured his right hamstring in ther Panthers’ 16-10 win over Canterbury on Friday night in a devastating blow for the Blues, who have a number of other key players sidelined through injury.

Cleary left the field just before half-time after hurting the hamstring for a second time is as many months, with the Panthers issuing a statement on Sunday confirming the diagnosis. “Scans revealed a grade 2 hamstring tear which will see Cleary ruled out for eight weeks,” the club said in a statement.

It means Cleary is set to miss Origin I at Accor Stadium in Sydney on June 5 and the second game at the MCG on June 26 while he’s no certainty to be available for game three in Brisbane on July 17.

Cleary has contended with a troublesome right hamstring for the majority of the season, first injuring it during the round-three win over Brisbane and spending a month on the sidelines. The Panthers rested Cleary the week after he returned to face North Queensland in round eight, only for the 26-year-old to aggravate the injury in the next game he played.