Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary avoids ban as NRL delivers verdict with finals on the line

Nathan Cleary has avoided a ban for dangerous contact, with the Panthers superstar now just sweating on a foot injury ahead of Penrith’s NRL preliminary final.

Cleary was on Monday handed a grade-one dangerous contact charge for collecting Hugo Savala’s leg after the Sydney Rooster kicked in Penrith’s 13-12 qualifying-final win.

But that charge only carries with it a $1000 fine with an early guilty plea, meaning Cleary can breathe a sigh of relief with no ban in place.

Had Cleary been handed a grade-two charge, the Penrith halfback would have been facing a one-game ban and the reality of being rubbed out of the preliminary final.

Manly prop Josh Aloiai and South Sydney forward Jacob Host received grade-two charges in 2024 for making contact with kickers.

Canberra’s Zac Hosking was fined for a similar incident in last year’s finals, while Melbourne’s Harry Grant had a charge overturned at the judiciary in 2024.

With the threat of a ban now out of the way, Cleary can focus on his foot and the two weeks he has to be fit to take on the winner of the Warriors and Newcastle.

Cleary was easily Penrith’s best in their 19-12 win over the Sydney Roosters, but his sin-bin at the end of the first half for the contact on Savala was only the start of his worries.

The 28-year-old limped through the final 10 minutes of the game with a sore right foot, and opted to give Dylan Edwards the Panthers’ last conversion attempt.

Cleary could also appeared to say to a Penrith physio after kicking the match-winning 72nd-minute field goal, “my foot is f***ed”.

The star half did attempt to play down the injury to his right foot after the game, but his father and coach Ivan admitted there was “something wrong with it”.

“I just copped a little bump on the foot,” Nathan Cleary said on Fox League.

“It was a pretty important kick, so I just wanted Dyl (Edwards) to take it. I wasn’t sure how it would hold up goal kicking.