Panthers star Cleary races clock to recover from foot injury

Penrith Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary is racing to recover from a stress-related foot injury sustained during the team's qualifying final victory over the Sydney Roosters, with his availability for the upcoming preliminary final uncertain. Cleary, who was instrumental in the 19-12 win, limped through the final 10 minutes of the match and opted not to take the last conversion attempt, passing duties to Dylan Edwards. The Panthers confirmed in a medical report that Cleary sustained a "stress-related bone issue" in his right foot during the game. Coach Ivan Cleary, who is also Nathan's father, said on Tuesday that the week off before the preliminary final is a "godsend" for his son's recovery. "Nat is pretty sore," Ivan Cleary said. "You could probably notice at the end of the game that he was a bit uncomfortable." The injury is believed to be an overuse issue. "Effectively it's an overuse injury. Rather than a one-off impact, the stress builds up in the bone over time," said NRL physio Brien Seeney. "Now that can mean best case a stress reaction or bruising of the bone. But worst case it could be a stress fracture.